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"now!"   HAL   GAVE  THE  WORD   SUDDENLY.      IMMEDIATELY    THE  TWO 

LADS  TOOK  TO  TriKIR   HEELS. 

The  Bov  Allies  at  Verdun.  Page  VU. 


The  Boy  Allies 
At   Verdun 


OR 


Saving  France  from  the  Enemy 
By  CLAIR  W.  HAYES 


AUTHOR   OF 

The  Boy  Allies  At  Liege" 

•The  Boy  Allies  On  the  Firing  Line" 

*The  Boy  Allies  With  the  Cossacks" 

"The  Boy  Allies  In  the  Trenches" 

The  Boy  Allies  On  the  Somme" 


Copyright,  191 7 
By  a.  L.  Burt  Company 


TKE  BOY  ALLIES  ^T  VERDUi'. 


uc-  -f-Vj'^^zji  t 


THE    BOY    ALLIES    AT 
VERDUN 


CHAPTER   I 


THE  EVE  OF  VERDUN 


On  the  twenty-second  of  February,  I9l<i,  ar 
automobile  sped  northward  along  the  Fre«ck  battle 
line  that  for  almost  two  years  had  hell  back  the 
armies  of  the  German  emperor,  strive  as  they 
would  to  win  their  way  farther  int«  the  heart  of 
France.  For  months  the  opposmg  forces  had 
battled  to  a  draw  from  the  Nortk  Sea  to  the  bound- 
ary of  Switzerland,  until  now,  as  the  day  waned — 
it  was  almost  six  o'clock — the  hands  of  time  drew 
closer  and  closer  to  the  hour  that  was  to  mark  the 
opening  of  the  most  bitter  and  destructive  battle  of 
the  war,  up  to  this  time. 

It  was  the  eve  of  the  battle  of  Verdun. 

The  occupants  of  the  automobile  as  it  sped  north- 
ward numbered  three.  In  the  front  seat,  alone  at 
the  driver's  wheel,  a  young  man  bent  low.    He  was 

3 


4  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

garbed  in  the  uniform  of  a  British  lieutenant  of 
cavalry.  Close  inspection  would  have  revealed  the 
fact  that  the  young  man  was  a  youth  of  some 
eighteen  years,  fair  and  good  to  look  upon.  As  the 
machine  sped  along  he  kept  his  eyes  glued  to  the 
road  ahead  and  did  not  once  turn  to  join  in  the 
conversation  of  the  two  occupants  on  the  rear  seat. 
Whether  he  knew  that  there  was  a  conversation  in 
progress  it  is  impossible  to  say,  but  the  rush  of 
wind  would  have  made  the  conversation  unintel- 
ligible, to  say  the  least. 

This  youth  on  the  front  seat  was  Hal  Paine,  an 
American. 

The  two  figures  in  the  rear  seat  were  apparently 
having  a  hard  time  to  maintain  their  places,  as  they 
bounced  from  side  to  side  as  the  car  swerved  first 
one  way  and  then  the  other,  or  as  it  took  a  flying 
leap  over  some  object  in  the  road,  which  even  the 
keen  eye  of  the  driver  had  failed  to  detect.  But  in 
spite  of  this,  even  as  they  bounced,  they  talked. 

One  of  the  two  figures  was  tall  and  slender  and 
there  was  about  him  an  air  of  youthfulness.  He 
was  in  fact  a  second  American  boy.  His  name 
was  Chester  Crawford,  friend  and  bosom  compan- 
ion of  Hal  Paine.  Like  the  latter  he,  too,  v;as 
attired  in  the  uniform  of  a  British  lieutenant  of 
cavalry. 

The  second  figure  in  the  rear  seat  was  built  along 
different  lines.     He  was  short  and  chunky;  also. 


AT  VERDUN  6 

he  was  stout.  Had  he  been  standing  it  would  have 
been  evident  that  he  was  almost  as  wide  as  he  was 
long.  He  had  a  pleasant  face  and  smiled  occa- 
sionally, though  upon  each  occasion  this  smile  died 
away  in  a  sickly  grin  as  the  car  leaped  high  in  the 
air  after  striking  a  particularly  large  obstruction  in 
the  road,  or  veering  crazily  to  one  side  as  it  turned 
sharply.  In  each  case  the  grin  was  succeeded  by  a 
gasp  for  breath. 

The  figure  was  that  of  Mr.  Anthony  Stubbs,  war 
correspondent  of  the  New  York  Gazette,  on  the 
firing  line  in  Europe  to  gather  facts  for  his  news- 
paper.    He  was  attired  in  a  riding  suit  of  khaki. 

Said  Mr.  Stubbs: 

"Well,  we  may  get  there  and  we  may  not." 

"Oh,  we'll  get  there  all  right,  Mr.  Stubbs !"  Ches- 
ter raised  his  voice  to  make  himself  heard. 

"We're  likely  to  land  out  here  in  the  ditch,"  was 
Stubbs'  reply.  "The  way  Hal  runs  this  car,  there 
is  no  telling  what  may  happen." 

"Not  frightened,  are  you,  Mr.  Stubbs?"  asked 
Chester,  grinning. 

"Frightened?"  echoed  Stubbs.  "Why  should  I 
be  frightened?  We  can't  be  going  more  than  a 
couple  of  hundred  miles  an  hour.  No,  I'm  not 
frightened.    I'm  what  you  call  scared.    Wow !" 

This  last  ejaculation  was  drawn  from  the  little 
man  as  he  was  pitched  over  into  Chester's  lap  by 
an  extra  violent  lurch  of  the  car.     He  threw  out 


6  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

a  hand,  seeking  a  hold,  and  his  open  palm  came  in 
contact  with  Chester's  face.  Chester  thrust  Stubbs 
away  from  him. 

"I  say,  Stubbs!"  said  the  lad  half  angrily.  "If 
you  want  to  jump  out  of  here,  all  right;  but  don't 
try  and  push  me  out  ahead  of  you.  Keep  your 
hands  out  of  my  face." 

"I  wasn't  trying  to  push  you  out,"  gasped  Stubbs. 
"I  was  hunting  something  to  hang  on  to." 

"Well,  my  face  is  no  strap,"  declared  Chester. 

The  automobile  slowed  down  suddenly  and  a  mo- 
ment later  came  to  a  stop  at  a  fork  in  the  road. 

"I'll  have  to  have  a  look  at  this  chart,"  Hal 
called  over  his  shoulder  to  his  companions,  as  he 
thrust  a  hand  into  a  pocket.  "Forget  which  way 
we  head  from  here." 

"We're  headed  for  the  happy  hunting  grounds  no 
matter  which  road  we  take,"  mumbled  Stubbs. 

"Don't  croak,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  said  Hal.  "Barring 
accidents,  we'll  reach  General  Petain  at  Verdun  in 
time  to  deliver  these  despatches  before  it's  too  late." 

"What  I  don't  understand,"  said  Chester,  "is  why 
it  is  necessary  to  deliver  these  despatches  by  courier. 
What's  the  matter  with  the  wire?" 

"I  don't  know,"  said  Hal,  as  he  returned  the 
chart  to  his  pocket  after  a  quick  scrutiny,  "unless 
there  is  a  leak  of  some  kind." 

"Hardly,"  said  Chester. 

Hal  shrugged  his  shoulders  as  he  settled  his  cap 


AT  VERDUN  -         7 

more  firmly  on  his  head  and  laid  a  hand  on  the 
wheel. 

"You  never  can  tell,"  he  said. 

"Well,"  said  Stubbs,  "I  don't— hey!  what're  you 
trying  to  do,  anyhow?" 

For  the  little  man  again  had  been  hurled  violently 
against  Chester  as  Hal  sent  the  car  forward  with 
a  lurch.     "Trying  to  leave  me  behind  ?     What  ?" 

"Can't  be  done,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  said  Chester. 

Mr.  Stubbs  glared  at  the  lad  angrily,  but  deigned 
to  make  no  reply.  So  the  big  army  automobile  con- 
tinued on  its  way  in  silence. 

Darkness  fell.  Hal  stopped  the  car  and  lighted 
the  lamps. 

"Can't  take  any  chances  while  going  at  this 
speed,"  he  said. 

Stubbs  grinned  feebly  to  himself,  seemed  as  if 
about  to  speak,  then  thought  better  of  it  and  re- 
mained silent.    But  he  waved  a  hand  in  disgust. 

A  moment  later  the  car  was  rushing  through  the 
darkness  at  the  speed  of  an  express  train ;  and  while 
this  journey  in  the  night  continues  it  will  be  well  to 
explain  the  presence  of  the  three  companions  in  the 
big  army  car,  how  they  came  there  and  why,  and 
the  nature  of  the  mission  upon  which  they  were 
bound. 

A  month  before  the  three  had  been  in  the  Bal- 
kans. There  the  two  lads,  together  with  Anthony 
Stubbs,  had  gone  through  many  dangerous  adven- 


8  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

tures,  finally  reaching  Greek  soil  in  the  nick  of 
time,  with  a  horde  of  Bulgarians  just  behind  them. 
With  them  had  been  others — Ivan,  a  Cossack,  a 
third  British  officer  and  a  young  girl.  Ivan  had 
elected  to  join  the  Anglo-French  forces  at  Salonika ; 
the  other  British  officer  had  found  his  own  regi- 
ment there  and  the  girl,  whom  it  had  been  the  good 
fortune  of  the  boys  to  save  from  the  Bulgarians, 
found  friends  in  the  Greek  city  who  had  taken  her 
in  charge. 

Hal,  Chester  and  Stubbs  had  embarked  on  a 
French  battleship,  homeward  bound.  After  due 
time  they  landed  in  Marseilles. 

"Now,"  said  Chester,  when  he  once  more  felt 
French  soil  under  his  feet,  "I  suppose  the  thing  for 
us  to  do  is  to  return  to  the  Italian  lines  and  see  if 
we  can  learn  anything  of  Uncle  John,  then  return  to 
Rome  and  to  New  York." 

Uncle  John  was  the  brother  of  Chester's  mother. 
All  had  been  bound  for  home  when  Hal  and  Chester 
had  become  involved  in  a  matter  that  took  them  for- 
ward with  the  Italian  troops.  Uncle  John  had  been 
along  to  keep  them  out  of  mischief,  if  he  could.  He 
hadn't  succeeded  and  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
the  Austrians.  The  boys  had  saved  him.  Later 
they  had  been  forced  to  seek  refuge  in  the  Balkans, 
having  found  it  impossible  to  get  back  into  the  Ital- 
ian lines,  and  they  had  lost  Uncle  John.  Their 
arrival  in  Marseilles  had  really  been  the  first  step 


AT  VERDUN  9 

toward  a  return  to  Rome,  where  they  intended  to 
try  and  find  their  mothers. 

But  their  plans  to  return  to  Rome  did  not  materi- 
alize. As  Hal  said :  "Luck  was  with  us." 
'  In  a  little  room  in  a  Marseilles  restaurant  they 
had  overheard  a  conversation  between  two  men, 
plainly  foreigners,  that  had  resulted  in  their  once 
more  being  sent  on  active  service.  While  they  had 
been  unable  to  gather  all  the  details,  they  had 
learned  enough  to  know  that  the  German  Crown 
Prince  had  laid  careful  plans  for  an  attack  on  Ver- 
dun. They  had  taken  their  information  to  the 
French  commanding  officer  in  Marseilles.  The  lat- 
ter had  been  somewhat  skeptical,  but  Colonel  Dere- 
vaux,  an  old  friend  of  the  boys,  had  arrived  at  the 
psychological  moment  and  vouched  for  them. 

Immediately  the  French  officer  decided  that  some- 
thing must  be  done.  The  plans  of  the  Germans,  so 
far  as  he  knew,  had  not  been  anticipated.  For  some 
reason  he  did  not  wish  to  trust  the  information  to 
the  telegraph  wires,  and  the  two  lads  had  volun- 
teered to  deliver  it  in  person  to  General  Petain. 
Their  offer  had  been  accepted,  which  accounts  for 
the  fact  that  we  find  them  upon  the  last  leg  of  their 
journey  to  Verdun  at  the  opening  of  this  story. 

Stubbs  had  elected  to  accompany  them,  for,  as  he 
laid,  "I've  got  to  get  the  news." 

The  two  lads  had  seen  considerable  active  ser- 
vice.   They  had  fought  with  the  Belgians  at  Liege; 


10  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

with  the  British  on  the  Marne;  with  the  Cossacks 
in  Russian  Poland  and  in  the  Carpathians ;  with  the 
Montenegrins  and  Serbians  in  the  Balkans,  and  with 
the  Italian  troops  in  the  Alps. 

They  had  been  participants  in  many  a  hard  blow 
that  had  been  delivered  by  the  Allies.  They  had 
won  the  confidence  of  Field  Marshall  John  French, 
commander  of  the  British  forces  in  France  until  he 
was  succeeded  by  General  Sir  Douglas  Haig  after 
the  battle  of  the  Champagne,  and  of  General  Joffre, 
the  French  commander-in-chief. 

While  they  ostensibly  were  British  army  officers, 
their  titles  were  purely  honorary,  but  they  held  ac- 
tual lieutenancies  in  the  Belgian  army,  these  hav- 
ing been  bestowed  upon  them  by  King  Albert  in 
recognition  of  services  accomplished  in  and  around 
Liege  in  the  early  days  of  the  war. 

The  boys  had  been  chums  since  early  childhood. 
They  had  been  brought  up  together.  They  attended 
school  together  and  were  inseparable  companions. 
Each  spoke  German  and  French  fluently,  and  ser- 
vice with  other  armies  had  given  them  a  knowledge 
of  other  tongues.  Both  were  strong  and  sturdy, 
crack  shots,  good  with  sword  and  sabre,  and  par- 
ticularly handy  with  their  fists.  These  accomplish- 
ments had  stood  them  in  good  stead  in  many  a  tight 
place.  But  better  than  all  these  accomplishments 
was  the  additional  fact  that  each  was  clear-headed, 
a  quick  thinker  and  very  resourceful.     They  de- 


AT  VERDUN  11 

pended  upon  brains  rather  than  brawn  to  pull  them 
through  ticklish  situations,  though  they  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  call  on  the  latter  force  when  occasion  de- 
manded. 

Hal,  peering  ahead  by  the  glare  of  the  searchlight 
on  the  large  army  car,  suddenly  slowed  down;  the 
car  stopped.  A  group  of  mounted  men  rode  up. 
Hal  stood  up  and  gave  a  military  salute  as  one  of 
the  group  advanced  ahead  of  the  others. 

"I  am  from  General  Durand  at  Marseilles,  sir," 
he  said.  "I  have  important  dispatches  for  General 
Petain." 

The  French  officer  returned  the  salute. 

"Follow  me/*  he  said  briefly. 


It  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER   II 


VERDUN 


Rightly  is  the  fortress  of  Verdun  called  the 
gateway  to  France.  By  reason  of  its  strategic  po- 
sition, it  is  absolutely  essential  that  an  invading 
army  have  possession  of  Verdun  before  thought  of 
a  successful  advance  on  Paris  can  be  entertained; 
and  it  was  upon  the  capture  of  Paris  that  the  Ger- 
man emperor  laid  his  hopes,  in  spite  of  the  collapse 
of  a  similar  offensive  launched  in  the  first  days  of 
the  war. 

But  Wilhelm  II  had  learned  a  lesson.  Verdun 
must  be  taken  before  he  ordered  his  armies  upon 
the  French  capital ;  and  so  it  was  that,  upon  Febru- 
ary twenty-third,  1916,  the  German  Crown  Prince 
began  a  determined  assault  upon  the  historic  French 
fortress. 

In  sheer  human  interest  the  battle  of  Verdun 
surpassed  all  other  individual  events  of  the  war. 
For  six  months  and  more  the  defenders  of  the  gate= 
way  to  France  withstood  a  storm  at  the  fury  of 
which  the  world  stood  aghast. 


AT  VERDUN  IS 

Foot  by  foot,  almost  inch  by  inch,  the  Germans 
forged  ahead  with  a  reckless  disregard  of  their 
lives,  a  tenacity  and  cool  courage  which  was  only 
equalled  by  the  cool  determination  of  the  French. 
Five  months  after  the  opening  of  this  great  battle, 
the  unofficial  estimate  of  German  dead  was  a  half 
million  men.  The  assailants  fought  their  way  to 
within  three  miles  and  a  half  of  the  fortress  itself, 
but  there  they  were  finally  halted.  It  was  then  that 
the  tide  turned;  and  though  the  Germans  surged 
forward  day  after  day  in  heavy  masses  they  pro- 
gressed no  further.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the 
end. 

The  Germans  advanced  confidently.  The  destruc- 
tion of  the  fortress  presented  no  hard  problem  to 
them.  The  utter  worthlessness  of  similarly  forti- 
fied positions  had  been  proven  in  the  earlier  days 
of  the  war — in  the  destruction  of  Louvain,  Liege, 
Brussels  and  Antwerp,  the  latter  the  most  strongly 
fortified  city  in  the  world,  with  the  exception  of 
Paris  itself.  The  huge  42-centimetre  guns  of  the 
Germans  had  battered  them  to  pieces  in  little  or  no 
time  at  all. 

It  was  with  the  knowledge  of  the  effectiveness 
of  these  great  guns  that  the  Crown  Prince  opened 
the  battle  of  Verdun.  The  fortress  of  Verdun  and 
the  outlying  fortifications,  it  was  believed,  would  be 
shattered  with  little  effort.  With  these  facts  in 
mind,  the  German  Crown  Prince  opened  with  his 


14  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

big  guns,  first  upon  the  fortresses  guarding  Ver- 
dun itself. 

These  approaches  shattered,  the  Crown  Prince 
ordered  his  infantry  and  cavalry  to  the  attack.  But 
where  the  onrushing  Germans,  according  to  the  rea- 
soning of  the  Crown  Prince,  should  have  found  no 
resistance,  they  encountered  strenuous  opposition. 
Abandoning  the  outlying  artificial  fortifications,  the 
French  had  thrown  up  huge  earthworks  and  from 
behind  these  received  the  German  attacks  coolly. 

Against  these  great  earthworks  the  heavy  guns 
of  the  attacking  forces  availed  little.  The  force  of 
even  the  great  42-centimetres  was  not  great  enough 
to  penetrate  the  loosely  built  mounds  of  earth  be- 
hind which  the  French  reposed.  The  great  shells 
struck  the  fresh  earth,  were  embedded  there  and  did 
no  harm.  The  French  general  staff  had  realized 
the  uselessness  of  fortresses  as  soon  as  had  the  Ger- 
mans. 

Therefore,  while  the  Germans  were  able  to  de- 
stroy forts  and  fortresses  at  will,  almost,  it  availed 
them  little.  The  defenders  were  secure  behind  their 
breastworks  of  earth.  True,  German  guns  dropped 
huge  shells  in  the  trenches,  a  veritable  rain  of 
death,  but  the  gaps  in  the  defending  lines  were 
filled  promptly. 

There  remained  naught  for  the  Germans  but  to 
try  and  carry  the  trenches,  under  the  support  of 
their  artillery. 


AT  VERDUN  15 

Day  after  day  the  Crown  Prince  launched  assault 
after  assault.  The  French  met  them  bravely.  But 
the  Germans  were  not  to  be  denied ;  and  urged  on  by 
the  Crown  Prince,  and  often  by  the  presence  upon 
the  firing  line  of  the  German  emperor  himself,  they 
continued  the  herculean  task  without  regard  to  loss 
of  life. 

Gradually  the  French  were  forced  back.  Hand- 
to-hand  fighting  for  possession  of  the  greatest  stra- 
tegical positions,  fought  daily,  for  a  time  resulted 
in  advantage  to  neither  side.  Among  the  chief  ob- 
jectives of  the  German  attack  were  two  particularly 
important  positions — Hill  No  304  (so  called  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  numerous  other  elevated  positions) 
and  Le  Mort  Homme  (Dead  Man's  Hill).  This 
name,  which  was  fated  to  become  historic,  was 
gained  only  after  days  and  days  of  constant  hand- 
to-hand  fighting  and  is  now  recalled  as  one  of  the 
bloodiest  battlefields  of  the  titanic  struggle. 

General  Henri  Phillip  Petain,  in  direct  command 
of  the  French  operations  at  Verdun,  endeared  him- 
self to  the  hearts  of  all  his  countrymen  by  his  gal- 
lant conduct  of  the  defense.  While  the  decision  of 
General  Joffre,  the  French  commander-in-chief,  to 
give  ground  before  the  German  attacks  rather  than 
to  sacrifice  his  men  in  a  useless  defense  of  the 
fortresses,  was  criticized  at  first  by  the  people,  the 
resulting  value  of  this  move  was  soon  apparent  and 
censure  turned  to  praise. 


16  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

While  the  heaviest  assaults  of  the  Germans  were 
launched  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Verdun  itself, 
the  great  battle  line  stretched  far  to  the  north  and 
to  the  south.  When  it  appeared  at  one  time  that 
the  French  must  be  hurled  back,  General  Sir  Doug- 
las Haig,  the  British  commander-in-chief,  weakened 
his  own  lines  to  the  far  north  to  take  over  a  portion 
of  the  ground  just  to  his  right  and  thus  relieved  the 
French  situation  at  Verdun  somewhat. 

General  Petain  thus  was  enabled  to  shorten  his 
own  lines,  and  from  that  moment,  with  few  excep- 
tions, the  French  stood  firm. 

It  seemed  that  the  Germans,  beaten  off  time  after 
time  as  they  were,  must  Hfoon  abandon  the  attempt 
to  break  the  French  lines  at  Verdun;  but  each  re- 
pulse brought  a  new  assault  mightier  than  before. 
The  Germans  raced  across  the  open  ground  under 
a  veritable  hail  of  lead.  They  fell  by  hundreds  and 
thousands,  but  what  few  survived  hurled  them- 
selves against  the  barbed  wire  entanglements  of  the 
French  or  into  the  trenches,  there  to  die  upon  the 
points  of  the  foes'  bayonets,  or  to  be  shot  down  as 
they  tumbled  over  the  breastworks. 

The  German  general  staff  drew  heavily  from  its 
forces  on  the  east  front  and  added  these  new 
legions  to  the  already  large  army  occupied  before 
Verdun;  but  the  result  was  always  the  same.  So 
far  they  could  progress  and  no  farther. 

After  almost  five  months  of  defensive  tactics. 


AT  VERDUN  17 

General  Petain  began  to  launch  assaults  of  his  own. 
At  first  the  Germans  put  these  down  with  regular- 
ity, but  at  last  the  effort  began  to  tell.  The  French 
made  headway.  Much  of  the  lost  ground  was  re- 
covered. The  French  moved  forward  a  bit  day  by 
day,  occupied  new  positions  and  consolidated  them. 
It  was  terrible  work,  but  the  French  persevered. 

Around  Hill  No.  304  and  Dead  Man's  Hill  the 
fighting  was  especially  severe.  There  men  died  by 
the  hundreds  and  by  the  thousands  that  one  of  the 
opposing  armies  might  advance  a  few  yards.  Gains 
even  were  counted  by  feet — almost  by  inches.  Gain 
of  a  few  yards  was  accounted  a  day's  work  well 
done. 

Not  once  did  the  French  troops  falter  under  fire ; 
nor  did  the  Germans,  for  that  matter.  Never  was 
there  greater  bravery,  loyalty  and  devotion.  Called 
upon  for  tasks  that  seemed  well  nigh  impossible,  the 
men  did  not  hesitate.  They  met  death  in  such  num- 
bers as  death  was  never  met  before. 

Almost  daily,  after  the  French  had  taken  a  brace 
three  and  a  half  miles  from  Verdun,  it  seemed  that 
the  Crown  Prince  must  give  up  the  effort.  It  ap- 
peared incomprehensible  that  the  useless  sacifice  of 
men  could  continue.  But  the  attempt  was  not  given 
up;  rather,  it  was  pressed  with  greater  vigor  each 
succeeding  day. 

But,  after  five  months,  the  fury  of  the  German 
assaults  gradually  lessened.     They  were  not  deliv- 


18  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

ered  with  the  same  effectiveness  as  before.  The  great 
guns  continued  to  rage,  scattering  death  over  the 
field  for  miles,  but  the  massed  attacks  of  infantry, 
and  cavalry  charges,  became  more  uncommon. 

Then  came  a  day  when  the  Germans  failed  to 
attack  at  all.  For  more  than  twenty-four  hours 
there  was  a  lull.  Weeks  passed  with  the  Germans 
launching  only  occasional  drives.  The  same  held 
good  for  the  French.  It  appeared  that  each  side  was 
content  to  rest  on  its  laurels,  biding  the  time  when 
a  grand  assault  could  be  delivered  with  some  degree 
of  effectiveness. 

The  fighting  was  intermittent.  It  came  spas- 
modically. Each  side  had  fought  itself  out  and  had 
paused  for  breath.  What  advantage  there  had  been, 
all  things  considered,  rested  with  French  arms.  The 
losses  on  both  sides,  in  killed  and  wounded,  had 
been  enormous — almost  beyond  comprehension.  The 
number  of  prisoners  taken  by  the  French  was  large. 
Many  French  troops  also  had  been  captured,  but  not 
so  many  as  Germans.  Also,  the  French  having  been 
the  defenders  for  the  most  part,  they  had  suffered 
less  in  killed  and  wounded  than  had  the  foe. 

This,  then,  was  the  result  of  the  battle  of  Ver- 
dun six  months  after  it  had  begun.  There  had  been 
no  decisive  victory.  Each  side  retained  its  po- 
sitions, but  each  was  ready  to  strike  whenever  the 
opportune  moment  presented  itself. 

Even  while  the  fighting  at  Verdun  was  at  its 


AT  VERDUN  19 

height  there  came  the  whisper  of  a  grand  offensive 
to  be  launched  by  the  Allies.  The  whisper  became 
louder  as  the  days  passed.  There  was  more  talk 
of  Roumania  and  Greece  throwing  their  armies  to 
the  support  of  the  Allies,  thus  forming  a  steel 
cordon  around  the  Central  powers  and  their  smaller 
allies,  Bulgaria  and  Turkey,  and  forcing  the  Ger- 
mans to  shorten  their  lines.  In  the  eastern  war 
theater  the  Russians  again  were  on  the  advance  and 
were  pushing  the  Germans  and  Austrians  hard, 
threatening  for  a  second  time  to  invade  Galicia  and 
the  plains  of  Hungary.  It  began  to  appear  that  the 
€nd  was  in  sight. 

Italy,  too,  had  launched  a  new  offensive  with 
Trieste  as  the  objective  and  the  driving  power  of 
the  Italian  troops  was  beginning  to  tell.  It  began 
to  appear  that  the  Central  powers  must  before  long 
be  placed  upon  the  defensive  in  all  war  zones. 

The  world  waited  impatiently  for  the  opening  of 
the  grand  allied  offensive  that,  it  was  expected, 
would  be  delivered  simultaneously  on  all  fronts.  It 
was  felt  that  it  would  not  be  long  coming.  There 
was  talk  of  a  new  great  field  gun  perfected  by  Great 
Britain — a  gun  that  would  be  more  effective  than 
the  German  42-centimetres — but  so  far  it  had  come 
to  play  no  part  in  the  struggle. 

But  of  all  battles,  land  or  sea,  that  had  been 
fought  in  the  greatest  war  of  history,  the  battle  of 
Verdun  stood  head  and  shoulders  as  the  most  im- 


20  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

portant.  It  was  the  greatest  and  bloodiest  struggle 
of  all  time,  up  to  that  period. 

And  it  was  in  this  battle  that  Hal  and  Chester, 
with  the  friend  Anthony  Stubbs,  war  correspondent, 
and  other  friends,  old  and  new,  were  to  play  im- 
portant roles.  While  each  realized,  as  the  three 
made  their  way  to  General  Petain  behind  the  French 
officer  who  had  interrupted  their  wild  automobile 
ride,  that  an  important  engagement  was  about  to  be 
fought,  neither  had,  of  course,  means  of  knowing 
that  they  were  to  take  part  in  one  of  the  greatest 
of  all  battles. 

It  was  with  the  satisfaction  that  they  had  arrived 
in  time  to  prevent  a  surprise  attack  that  they  made 
their  way  to  General  Petain's  quarters.  But,  as  it 
transpired,  they  had  arrived  a  trifle  too  late.  For 
even  as  they  reached  the  general's  tent  the  German 
guns  spoke. 


AT  VERDUN  21 


CHAPTER   III 

GENERAL     PETAIN 

To  the  soldier  the  voice  of  the  great  guns  speaks 
plainly.  Their  ears  accustomed  tathe  various  forms 
of  bombardments,  Hal  and  Chester  realized  as  well 
as  the  rest  that  this  was  no  mere  resumption  of  an 
artillery  duel.  It  was  not  a  single  salvo  from  a 
single  German  position  that  had  been  fired.  The 
great  guns  boomed  from  north  and  south ;  and  con- 
tinued to  boom. 

The  officer  who  was  conducting  the  three  friends 
to  the  headquarters  of  General  Petain  turned  and 
called  a  single  word  over«his  shoulder : 

"Hurry!" 

He  broke  into  a  run  and  the  others  did  likewise. 
A  short  turn  or  two  and  they  brought  up  before  a 
tent  somewhat  larger  than  the  rest.  This  the  lads 
knew  was  General  Petain's  field  headquarters. 

Even  as  the  French  officer  approached  the  en- 
trance, the  general  himself  rushed  from  the  tent, 
followed  by  members  of  his  staff.  The  officer  who 
had  conducted  the  lads  there  accosted  him. 


22  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Sir,"  he  said,  "despatch  bearers  from  General 
Durand  at  Marseilles." 

General  Petain  waved  them  aside. 

"I've  no  time  for  them  now,"  he  said,  and  made 
as  if  to  move  on. 

Hal  stepped  forward. 

"Sir,"  he  said,  "the  despatches  we  carry  have  to 
do  with  the  impending  action." 

General  Petain  stopped  suddenly  and  eyed  the 
lad  keenly.    Then  he  said  abruptly : 

"Come  with  me." 

He  led  the  way  into  the  tent,  and  Hal,  Chester 
and  Stubbs  followed  him.  The  general  seated  him- 
self at  a  desk  at  a  far  end  of  the  tent  and  de- 
manded : 

"The  despatches." 

Hal  produced  several  documents,  which  he  passed 
to  the  general.  The  latter  broke  the  seals  quickly 
and  read.  Then  suddenly  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
dashed  outside.  The  lads  could  hear  him  delivering 
sharp  orders  to  members  of  his  staff.  A  moment 
later  his  voice  became  inaudible. 

After  fifteen  minutes'  waiting,  Chester  grew  fid- 
gety. 

"Wonder  where  he  went?"  he  said. 

"Don't  know,"  returned  Hal  with  a  shrug. 

"Let's  go  out  and  see  what's  going  on,"  said 
Stubbs,  and  moved  toward  the  exit. 

"Hold  on."  said   Hal.     "We're    -nder  General 


AT  VERDUN  23 

Petain's  orders  now.  We  had  better  remain  here 
until  he  returns." 

"You  and  Chester  may  be,"  said  Stubbs,  "but 
I'm  not.    I'm  going  out  and  have  a  look  around." 

"Better  stick  around,  Stubbs,"  said  Chester 
grimly.  "If  they  find  you  wandering  about  you're 
liable  to  be  put  under  arrest.  You  can't  go  snoop- 
ing around  without  permission,  you  know." 

"Snooping !"  repeated  Stubbs.  "Snooping!  Who's 
going  snooping?  I  want  to  find  out  what's  going 
on." 

"Same  thing,"  said  Chester. 

The  little  man  was  offended. 

"Call  it  snooping  when  I  go  out  hunting  news  fof 
my  paper  ?"  he  asked. 

"It's  snooping  when  you  go  sticking  your  nose 
into  other  people's  business,"  declared  Chester. 

"This  is  my  business,"  exclaimed  Stubbs. 

"Oh,  no,  it's  not.     It's  just  a  plain  case " 

"I  tell  you  it  is  my  business.  It's  the  business  of 
the  New  York  Gazette.  The  people  in  the  United 
States  want  to  know  what  is  going  on  over  here." 

"I'm  afraid  General  Petain  wouldn't  agree  with 
you,  Stubbs,"  interposed  Hal.  "He  doesn't  care 
what  the  people  in  the  United  States  want.  All  he 
cares  about  right  now  is  to  lick  the  Germans." 

"Well,  maybe  you're  right,"  Stubbs  admitted,  "but 
just  the  same  I  want  you  fellows  to  know  that  hunt- 
ing news  is  not  snooping." 


24  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Stubbs,"  said  Chester,  "I've  got  to  give  you 
credit.    In  my  opinion  you're  a  first  class  snooper." 

"What?"  exclaimed  the  Httle  man,  fairly  dancing 
with  rage.  "Snooper?  Me  a  snooper?  What  do 
you  mean?" 

"Of  course  you  are,"  replied  Chester;  "and  a 
good  one.  Why,  I  can  remember  once  or  twice  that 
if  you  hadn't  been  a  good  snooper  Hal  and  I 
wouldn't  be  here  now.     Remember?" 

"Well,  yes,"  said  Stubbs,  somewhat  mollified, 
"but  I  don't  know  whether  that's  what  you  meant 
or  not." 

"Why,  Stubbs,"  said  Chester,  "what  else  could  I 
have  meant?" 

Stubbs  looked  at  Chester  coldly ;  then  turned  and 
walked  to  the  far  end  of  the  tent. 

"Now  see  what  you've  done,  Chester,"  said  Hal, 
in  a  whisper  meant  for  Stubbs  to  overhear.  "You've 
made  him  mad." 

Stubbs  whirled  about  angrily. 

"You  bet  you've  made  me  mad,"  he  declared. 
"You  can  bet,  too,  that  I  won't  ever  do  any  more 
snooping  on  behalf  of  either  of  you.  The  next  time 
you  get  in  trouble  you'll  have  to  depend  on  someone 
besides  Anthony  Stubbs  to  get  you  out  of  it." 

"See,"  said  Hal.  "I  told  you  not  to  do  it,  Chester. 
He's  liable  to  let  us  both  get  killed.     He " 

Stubbs  could  stand  no  more.  He  turned  on  his 
heel  and  made  his  way  from  the  tent.     But  even  as 


AT  VERDUN  25 

he  wou-ld  have  moved  away  he  became  involved  in 
more  trouble. 

With  head  down  and  not  looking  where  he  was 
going,  he  collided  with  another  figure  and  was 
pushed  violently  backwards.  Stubbs  looked  up 
angrily  and  was  about  to  say  something  when  he 
glanced  at  the  other.  It  was  General  Petain.  The 
latter  spoke  before  Stubbs  could  apologize. 

"What's  the  matter  with  you?"  he  demanded. 
"Can't  you  see  where  you're  going?  What  were 
you  doing  in  my  tent,  anyhow?  Who  are  you? 
What's  your  business  here?" 

The  questions  came  so  fast  that  Stubbs  was  con- 
fused. 

*T — why— I "  he  stuttered. 

"Come  inside  here,"  said  the  general. 

He  stretched  forth  a  hand,  seized  Stubbs  by  the 
collar  and  pushed  him  in  the  tent.  Stubbs,  caught 
off  his  balance,  went  stumbling  and  almost  fell  into 
Hal's  arms.  General  Petain  entered  the  tent  imme- 
diately behind  him. 

When  his  eyes  fell  upon  Hal  and  Chester  he  gave 
a  start  of  surprise.  Evidently  he  had  forgotten  all 
about  them.    Then  he  remembered. 

"So  you're  still  here?"  he  said.  "I  had  forgot- 
ten all  about  you." 

"We  are  awaiting  your  orders,  sir,"  said  Hal. 

"I  don't  know  as  I  have  any  for  you,"  was  the- 
reply.    "I  have  taken  what  precautions  I  can.    Had 


!26  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

you  arrived  a  day  eariier  it  might  have  been  dif- 
ferent.   I  would  have  had  more  time." 

"We  came  as  fast  as  we  could,  sir,"  said  Chester. 

"Fve  no  doubt  of  that,"  said  the  general.  "Your 
information  is  of  great  value,  of  course.  I  suppose 
you  will  return  to  Marseilles  ?" 

"We  had  rather  remain  here  a  while,  sir,"  said 
Hal. 

"So,"  said  the  general.  "It's  fighting  you  want, 
eh?  Well,  I  guess  I  can  accommodate  you.  I  prob- 
ably shall  need  every  man  I  can  get  hold  of.  I 
shall  attach  you  to  my  staff  temporarily.  But  tell 
me,  who  is  this  man  here?"    He  pointed  to  Stubbs. 

"War  correspondent,"  replied  Hal  briefly. 

"What?"  roared  the  general,  "and  in  my  tent! 
I'll  have  him  courtmartialed !" 

Stubbs  quailed  visibly. 

"A  war  correspondent,  eh,"  continued  the  gen- 
eral, "and  walking  about  within  my  lines  as  free  as 
air.     He  may  be  a  spy.     I'll  have  him  shot." 

"Look  here,  general,"  said  Stubbs,  "I " 

"Silence !"  thundered  General  Petain.  He  turned 
to  Hal.    Your  name,  sir?" 

"Paine,  sir." 

"A  lieutenant,  I  see." 

"Yes,  sir." 

General  Petain  turned  to  Chester. 

"And  your  name?" 

"Lieutenant  Crawford,  sir."  ^ 


AT  VERDUN  27 

"Good,  ril  turn  this  man  over  to  you.  You  may 
do  as  you  please  with  him.  I  see  he  is  a  friend 
of  yours." 

"Yes,  sir,"  returned  Hal.  "He's  a  good  friend 
of  ours,  sir.  He's  rendered  us  several  valuable  ser- 
vices. Also,  sir,  he  is  to  be  trusted.  He  will  seek 
to  send  out  no  information  which  you  desire  sup- 
pressed." 

"I  never  heard  of  one  like  that,"  said  the  general. 

"He's  the  only  one  in  captivity,  sir.  His  name  is 
Stubbs,  sir,  of  the  New  York  Gazette." 

"His  name  will  be  Mudd,  sir,  if  he  doesn't  con- 
duct himself  properly  while  within  my  lines,"  de- 
clared General  Petain.  "Take  him  with  you.  Find 
Lieutenant  Maussapant  and  tell  him  to  find  quar- 
ters for  you.  Report  to  me  at  midnight.  I  prob- 
ably shall  have  work  for  you." 

The  lads  saluted  and  made  their  way  from  the 
tent.  Stubbs  followed  them.  Chester  glanced  at 
his  watch. 

"Great  Scott !"  he  ejaculated.  "I  had  no  idea  it 
was  so  late." 

"How  late  ?"  asked  Chester. 

"Ten-thirty." 

"Nor  I,"  said  Chester.  "Where  do  you  suppose 
we  are  going  to  find  Maussapant?" 

"You've  got  me.  However,  here  comes  a  young 
officer ;  we'll  ask  him." 

Hal  did  so. 


28  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"That  is  my  name,"  was  the  young  man's  smiling 
response. 

"Then  we're  in  luck,"  said  Hal.  "General  Petain 
requests  that  you  find  quarters  for  me." 

"As  it  happens,"  said  the  young  Frenchman,  "two 
of  my  brother  officers  have  been  transferred  and  I 
can  ask  you  to  bunk  with  me." 

"How  about  Stubbs  ?"  asked  Hal. 

"Stubbs?" 

"Yes ;  our  friend  here,  a  war  correspondent." 

"Oh,  I  guess  we  can  find  room  for  him.  Come 
with  me.'* 

The  three  friends  followed  the  young  French- 
man and  presently  were  installed  in  a  large,  com- 
fortable tent. 

"Turn  in  whenever  you're  ready,"  said  the  French- 
man. 

"We  must  report  to  the  general  at  midnight," 
was  Hal's  reply. 

"What's  up?" 

"You've  got  me,"  said  Hal.  "Hope  it's  some- 
thing good,  though." 

"Probably  is,  or  he  wouldn't  want  you  at  that 
hour." 

"Well,"  said  Stubbs  at  this  point,  "you  boys  can 
do  what  you  please.     I'm  going  to  get  a  little  sleep." 

"All  right,"  said  Chester.  "If  we  shouldn't  be 
around  in  the  morning,  don't  worry.  We'll  turn  up 
sooner  or  later." 


AT  VERDUN  29 

Stubbs  nodded  and  made  ready  for  bed. 

At  five  minutes  to  twelve  o'clock,  Hal  and  Ches- 
ter started  for  the  headquarters  of  General  Petain. 

"Here's  where  we  get  busy  again,  old  man,"  said 
Chester. 


80  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER    IV 


THE    BATTLE   OPENS 


For  forty-eight  hours  the  greatest  of  modern 
artillery  duels  had  raged  incessantly.  German  guns 
swept  the  French  positions  in  all  sections  of  the 
Verdun  region.  Fortresses  protecting  the  approach 
to  the  city  of  Verdun  had  been  shattered.  The 
Germans  had  hurled  two  and  three  shells  to  each 
one  by  the  French, 

But  after  the  first  day  the  French  had  entrenched 
themselves  behind  their  earth  breastworks,  hastily 
dug  and  thrown  up,  and  now  remained  secure.  Into 
these  the  German  guns  now  poured  their  fire.  The 
defenders  were  ready  for  the  first  attack  by  in- 
fantry, which  it  was  realized  would  come  soon. 

And  it  came  even  sooner  than  -^vas  expected. 

Hal,  with  a  despatch  for  the  officer  in  command 
of  the  first  line  troops  just  to  the  north  of  Verdun, 
was  about  to  return  when  there  came  a  sudden 
shout : 

"Here  they  come!" 

Hal  turned  quickly. 


AT  VERDUN  31 

There,  perhaps  half  a  mile  away,  stretched  out 
a  long  thin  line,  barely  visible  through  the  dense 
cloud  of  smoke  that  overhung  the  ground.  Hal 
took  in  the  situation  instantly.  The  German  in- 
fantry was  advancing  to  the  charge  under  artillery 
support. 

Behind  the  first  long  line  stretched  out  a  second 
and  beyond  that  a  third  and  a  fourth  and  many 
more.  They  advanced  slowly  in  the  face  of  a  rain 
of  lead  turned  on  them  by  the  men  in  the  trenches. 
Men  fell  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  Hal  could  see, 
but  the  gaps  were  filled  instantly  and  the  long  lines 
pressed  forward. 

Now  they  were  within  three  hundred  yards  and 
the  heavy  German  guns  became  silent.  The  advance 
i.ow  must  be  made  without  further  artillery  support, 
for  the  German  batteries  could  not  fire  without  immi- 
nent danger  of  shooting  down  their  own  men. 

The  Germans  broke  into  a  run. 

From  behind  the  French  earthworks  was  poured 
a  hail  of  lead,  but  it  did  not  serve  to  check  the 
approaching  foe.  On  to  the  breastworks  they  came 
and  clambered  up.  Behind  the  first  line  came  many 
more  and  they  swarmed  upon  the  defenders  like 
bees  in  a  hive. 

Bayonet  met  bayonet  and  revolvers  cracked.  Men 
struggled  with  their  bare  hands.  Friend  and  foe 
went  down  together,  struggling  to  the  last.  On  the 
right  and  on  the  left,  though  Hal  could  not  see  these 


82  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

actions,  similar  scenes  were  being  enacted.  The 
Germans  had  made  their  initial  advance  upon  a  front 
of  almost  fifteen  miles. 

A  bugle  sounded. 

French  reinforcements  were  rushed  forward  to 
aid  the  hard-pressed  men  in  the  first  line  trenches. 
More  Germans  poured  in.  The  struggling  mass 
surged  backward  and  forward.  Then  the  French 
broke  and  fled,  and  Hal  found  himself  among  a 
panic-stricken  mass  of  humanity,  running  for  life 
for  the  protection  of  the  second  line  trenches.  From 
behind,  the  victorious  Germans  fell  to  their  knees 
and  poured  a  steady  rifle  fire  upon  the  vanquished. 
Over  the  heads  of  their  fleeing  countrymen  the 
second  line  French  troops  returned  the  fire. 

Hastily  the  Germans  fell  to  work  throwing  up 
earthworks  facing  the  second  French  line.  Under 
experienced  hands  the  breastworks  sprang  up  as  if 
by  magic.  They  entrenched  calmly  under  the  rifles 
of  the  French  infantry  and  the  heavy  guns  of  the 
French  batteries,  though  men  fell  upon  all  hands. 

Far  away,  but  coming  closer,  the  German  bat- 
teries now  opened  fire  on  the  second  French  trenches, 
firing  above  the  bear's  of  the  victorious  German 
infantry.  The  infantry  action  subsided.  The  duel 
of  big  guns  was  resumed. 

Chester,  who  had  been  despatched  by  General 
Petain  with  orders,  arrived  there  to  witness  a  scene 
similar  to  the  one  Hal  had  seen  in  the  center.    The 


AT  VERDUN  9$ 

German  assaults  had  been  successful  all  along  the 
line.  The  French  had  lost  their  first  line  trenches 
on  a  front  of  approximately  twelve  miles.  Only  at 
one  or  two  isolated  spots  had  the  Germans  met  re- 
verses; and  these  few  points  that  the  French  still 
held  were  doubly  dangerous  now.  They  could  not 
be  given  the  proper  support.  Later  in  the  day  they 
were  abandoned. 

Hal  and  Chester  returned  to  their  posts  about  the 
same  time.  Each  was  sadly  disappointed  at  the 
result  of  the  first  infantry  fighting.  For  several 
hours  they  were  kept  on  the  jump  carrying  des- 
patches, and  it  was  after  dark  before  they  found 
themselves  alone  together  after  the  strenuous  day. 

"Pretty  hard,"  said  Hal,  shaking  his  head  sadly. 

*T  should  say  so,"  Chester  agreed.  "It  seems  to 
me  that  those  fellows  could  have  been  stopped." 

"It  doesn't  to  me,"  declared  Hal.  "The  way  they 
swept  into  our  trenches  seemed  to  me  beyond  human 
power  to  stop.  I'm  glad  they  stopped  when  they 
did.    They  probably  could  have  gone  farther." 

"They'll  try  again  tomorrow,"  said  Chester  posi- 
tively. 

"I'm  afraid  so,"  agreed  Hal;  "and  if  they  do, 
I'm  afraid  they'll  drive  us  back  again," 

"And  what's  the  reason?"  demanded  Chester. 

Hal  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"I  don't  know,"  he  said.  "Of  course  they  can 
only  progress  so  far.    They'll  wear  themselves  out 


84  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

by  their  own  exertions.  They  lost  a  great  deal  more 
heavily  than  we  did  today;  but  certainly  it  seemed 
as  if  nothing  could  stop  them." 

There  was  little  rest  for  Hal  and  Chester  that 
night.  It  seemed  to  both  that  they  had  hardly 
closed  their  eyes  when  they  were  again  summoned 
to  General  Petain.  Assembled  there  they  found  the 
entire  staff.  The  French  commander  was  reviewing 
the  events  of  the  day  and  issuing  orders  and  in- 
structions rapidly.  He  realized  that  there  would 
be  more  and  probably  harder  fighting  on  the  next 
day  and  he  was  laying  his  plans  accordingly.  Hal 
and  Chester  received  their  instructions  for  the  mor- 
row along  with  the  rest. 

Returning  to  their  own  quarters  again,  they  were 
attracted  by  the  sound  of  confusion  a  short  distance 
away. 

"Something  up,"  said  Chester.  "Let's  have  a 
look." 

Nothing  loath,  Hal  followed  his  chum. 

In  the  light  of  a  large  camp  fire  they  made  out 
a  crowd  of  soldiers  gathered  about  in  a  large  circle. 
Howls  of  amusement  and  hilarious  laughter  rose 
on  the  air.  Hal  and  Chester  pushed  closer  and  were 
able  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  merriment. 

In  the  center  six  French  soldiers  held  a  blanket 
and  in  the  center  of  this  blanket  was  a  man.  He 
rose  and  fell  as  the  six  men  alternately  released 
t!ie  blanket  and  then  drew  it  taut  again.     He  was 


AT  VERDUN  36 

yelling  at  the  top  of  his  voice  to  be  let  alone  and 
threatening  dire  vengeance  on  his  tormentors  when 
he  would  be  able  to  get  at  them.  But  he  was  laugh- 
ing and  taking  the  joke  good  naturedly. 

Hal  and  Chester  joined  the  circle  of  spectators 
and  derived  as  much  amusement  as  the  others  from 
the  procedings.  At  length,  tiring  of  their  present 
victim,  the  men  lowered  him  to  the  ground.  One 
of  them,  a  large,  strapping  fellow,  perhaps  thirty 
years  of  age,  cast  his  eye  around  the  circle  of  faces. 

"Let's  get  another  one,"  he  shouted. 

There  was  a  chorus  of  assent  from  the  others 
and  all  six  set  to  looking  about  for  a  victim  who 
would  not  prove  too  willing.  As  Hal  said  to  Ches- 
ter, apparently  there  was  no  fun  tossing  a  man  who 
took  it  good  naturedly. 

At  last  the  big  fellow  gave  a  howl  of  delight  and 
dashed  forward.  Hal  gazed  after  him.  As  the  big 
fellow  bounded  forward,  a  slight  figure  in  the  first 
row  turned  and  ran.  But  the  big  fellow  overtook 
him  and  dragged  him  back. 

"Here's  one,  men,"  he  cried.  "See,  he  doesn't 
want  to  come  with  me.  He  doesn't  know  what  a 
good  time  he  is  going  to  have.  We'll  give  him  a 
good  one." 

The  others  lent  a  hand  and  dragged  the  unwil- 
ling captive  forward.  As  they  would  have  put  him 
on  the  blanket,  the  youngster — for  such  the  cap- 
tive proved  to  be — protested. 


36  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Some  other  time,  fellows,"  he  said.  "I'm  sick 
tonight.  I  hadn't  ought  to  be  out  at  all,  but  I 
couldn't  stay  in  the  tent  any  longer.  I'll  let  you 
toss  me  in  the  blanket  some  other  time,  but  please 
let  me  alone  tonight." 

From  where  Hal  and  Chester  stood  it  was  plain 
to  see  that  the  boy  was  telling  the  truth.  His  face 
was  deathly  pale  and  he  looked  very  ill. 

"Great  Scott,"  said  Hal,  "they  shouldn't  torment 
him.    He  is  telling  the  truth." 

"Certainly  he  is,"  Chester  agreed.  "I  believe  the 
boy  is  very  ill." 

But  the  young  French  boy's  protest  fell  on  un- 
heeding ears. 

With  loud  guffaws  the  men  grabbed  hold  of  the 
blank2t  and  sent  the  captive  spinning  aloft.  Two, 
three  times  he  rose  and  fell,  and  upon  the  last  was 
still  in  the  blanket.  Apparently  the  men  who  held 
the  blanket  had  not  noticed  this,  however,  for  they 
were  preparing  to  toss  him  aloft  again.  But  Hal 
had  detected  the  lad's  condition.  He  decided  it  was 
time  for  some  one  to  interfere,  and  as  no  one 
else  apparently  was  ready  to  call  a  halt  on  the 
proceeding,  he  determined  to  take  a  hand  him- 
self. 

Quickly  he  shed  his  overcoat  and  then  tossed  off 
his  jacket  and  passed  them  to  Chester. 

"Hold  'em !"  he  said,  and  sprang  forward. 

At  the  edr!:e  of  the  circle  he  halted  and  gazed  at 


AT  VERDUN  87 

the  big  Frenchman,  who  had  chanced  to  turn  in  his 
direction. 

"Let  the  boy  go,"  he  said.  "Can't  you  see  that 
he  is  unconscious?" 

The  big  Frenchman  grinned  at  him.  When  Hal 
had  taken  off  his  coat,  he  had  removed  all  signs  of 
his  rank  and  the  soldier  had  no  means  of  knowing 
he  was  an  officer. 

"One  more  toss,"  said  the  Frenchman. 

Hal  stepped  close  to  him. 

"The  boy  is  unconscious,"  said  the  Frenchman, 
and  added :  "Then  we'll  take  you." 

He  nodded  to  the  others  in  signal  that  it  was  time 
to  toss;  but  before  he  could  move,  Hal  had  seized 
him  by  the  wrist  and  whirled  him  around. 

"You  heard  me,"  the  lad  said  quietly.  "I  meant 
what  I  said." 

He  gave  the  Frenchman's  arm  a  quick  twist  and 
the  man  dropped  his  hold  on  the  blanket.  The 
Frenchman's  hold  on  the  blanket  released,  the  lad 
upon  it  tumbled  to  the  ground,  where  he  lay  still. 
Instantly  several  others  bent  over  and  gave  their 
attention  to  bringing  him  to.  The  man  whom  Hal 
had  confronted  turned  on  him  angrily. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  he  demanded. 

"I  told  you  to  let  the  boy  alone  and  I  meant  it," 
said  Hal  quietly. 

For  answer  the  Frenchman  struck  at  him.  Hal 
dodged  the  blow  and  stepped  back.    He  would  have 


38  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

avoided  a  fight  if  possible.  But  the  Frenchman 
stepped  after  him  and  struck  again.  Again  Hal 
dodged  and  the  blow  passed  harmlessly  over  his 
head.  The  lad  struck  out  quickly  with  his  right  and 
caught  the  Frenchman  a  hard  blow  upon  the  side  of 
the  neck.  Big  man  though  he  was,  the  Frenchman 
toppled  over.  Hal  walked  back  to  where  he  had 
left  Chester,  donned  his  coat  and  the  two  moved 
away. 

Behind  them,  as  the  big  Frenchman  staggered  to 
his  feet  there  was  a  howl  of  merriment.  The 
Frenchman  shook  a  fist  angrily  at  Hal's  back. 


AT  VERDUN  89 


CHAPTER   V 

THE  BLACK   PEAS 

The  howling  without  continued  when  Hal  and 
Chester  reached  their  own  quarters. 

"Well,  you've  made  another  enemy,  Hal,"  said 
Chester. 

"Can't  help  that,"  was  his  chum's  reply.  "It  had 
to  be  done.  By  the  way,  I  wonder  what's  happened 
to  Stubbs?" 

'    "Oh,  I  guess  he  is  spooking  around  some  place. 
He'll  turn  up  before  long." 

The  lad  was  right.  Hal  and  Chester  had  hardly 
composed  themselves  to  sleep  when  the  flap  to  the 
tent  was  lifted  and  Stubbs'  head  appeared.  He 
struck  a  match  and  looked  at  the  two  lads. 

"Asleep  ?"  he  asked. 

Neither  lad  was,  but  neither  replied.  They  were 
both  too  sleepy  to  care  to  enter  into  a  conversation 
with  Stubbs,  so  they  maintained  a  discreet  silence. 

"All  right,  then,"  said  Stubbs,  "if  you're  asleep 
I'll  soon  be  with  you." 

He  removed  his  clothing  and  went  to  bed. 


0  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Stubbs  was  up  early  the  following  morning  and 
when  the  lads  arose  entertained  them  with  an  ac- 
count of  his  wanderings. 

"And,"  he  concluded,  "I've  stumbled  across  a 
story  that's  a  wonder." 

"A  story?"  repeated  Qiester. 

"Yes.  A  *story'  is  a  newspaper  man's  way  of 
expressing  something  big." 

"Something  to  do  with  the  battle?"  asked  Hal. 

"It  may  have  and  it  may  not,"  declared  Stubbs. 
"It  may  have  something  to  do  with  the  whole  war — 
and  it  may  not.     I  don't  know." 

"What  is  it,  Stubbs?"  asked  Chester. 

Stubbs  winked  one  eye  at  him. 

"As  I  happened  to  stumble  across  this  while  I 
was  snooping,"  he  said,  "and  as  you  don't  think 
much  of  snooping,  I  am  going  to  keep  this  to  my- 
self." 

"Come,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  said  Chester,  "you  know  I 
was  just  fooling." 

"Well,  I  may  be  just  fooling  now,  for  all  you 
know,"  said  Stubbs. 

In  vain  did  the  lads  plead  to  know  what  he  was 
talking  about.  Stubbs  was  obdurate  and  took  his 
departure,  announcing  that  he  was  going  to  do 
some  more  "snooping,"  without  enlightening 
them. 

Hardly  had  he  gone  when  the  lads  received  a 
caller.     It  was  none  other  than  the  young  French 


AT  VERDUN  41 

boy  whom  Hal  had  rescued  from  the  hands  of  his 
tormentors  the  night  before. 

"They  told  me  you  came  to  my  aid,"  he  said  to 
Hal,  "so  I  have  come  to  thank  you." 

"Who  are  they?"  asked  Hal. 

"Some  of  the  men.  It  was  true  that  I  was  ill 
last  night.    Jules  Clemenceau  will  not  forget." 

The  young  French  boy  had  stood  with  one  hand 
in  his  pocket,  and  now  withdrew  the  hand  and  ex- 
tended it  to  Hal.  As  he  did  so,  two  small  objects 
fell  from  his  pocket.  Apparently  Jules  did  not  no- 
tice them.  Hal  shook  hands  with  the  boy  and  the 
Frenchman  took  his  departure. 

Chester,  in  the  meantime,  had  picked  up  the  two 
little  objects  and  now  he  called  to  Jules,  but  the 
young  Frenchman  did  not  hear  him. 

"Oh,  I  guess  he  doesn't  want  these  things,  any- 
how," the  lad  muttered. 

"What  things  ?"  asked  Hal,  who  had  not  seen  the 
objects  drop  from  Jules'  pocket. 

Chester  passed  one  of  the  objects  to  him. 

"Know  what  it  is?"  he  asked. 

"Sure,"  returned  Hal,  "don't  you?" 

"No.    What  is  it?" 

"A  pea." 

"I  never  saw  a  pea  like  that." 

"Probably  not.  They  are  rather  rare.  A  black 
pea,  that's  what  it  is.     Where  did  you  get  it  ?" 

"Jules  dropped  it  out  of  his  pocket." 


42  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Well,  as  he  seems  to  think  I  have  done  him  a 
favor,  I  am  just  going  to  keep  this.  I  guess  he 
won't  mind,    I'll  carry  it  as  a  pocket  piece." 

"Then  I'll  carry  the  mate  to  it,"  said  Chester. 

He  put  the  little  round  pea  in  his  pocket  and  Hal 
followed  suit. 

Although  neither  could  possibly  have  suspected 
it,  these  two  little  peas  were  to  be  the  means  of 
getting  them  into  all  kinds  of  trouble. 

There  was  heavy  fighting  that  day  and  when 
night  fell  it  found  the  Germans  safely  entrenched 
in  the  French  second  line  trenches  along  a  seven- 
mile  front.  For  some  reason  or  other  Hal  and 
Chester  did  not  get  to  the  front,  their  duties  con- 
fining them  close  to  General  Petain's  headquarters. 
They  were  kept  busy  most  of  the  day,  however, 
and  were  tired  out  when  they  returned  to  their  own 
quarters  late  that  night. 

Ready  as  they  were  for  bed,  they  consented  to 
sit  up  a  while  and  talk  with  Stubbs,  who  announced 
that  he  had  a  wonderful  tale  to  unfold. 

"Well,"  said  Stubbs,  "I  have  discovered  a  strange 
thing.  It's  a  big  thing  and  there  are  many  men  in 
the  French  army  implicated  in  it.  Most  likely  in 
the  British,  too,  and  I  know  that  it  has  touched  the 
ranks  of  the  enemy." 

"What  is  it,  a  conspiracy  ?"  asked  Chester. 

"It  is,"  said  Stubbs,  "and  it's  a  whopper.  I 
haven't  been  able  to  find  the  names  of  any  of  the 


AT  VERDUN  43 

leaders  and  I  wouldn't  know  what  to  do  if  I  did 
leam  who  they  are.  This  one  thing,  rather  than 
anything  else,  is  likely  to  disrupt  the  aims  of  the 
Allies." 

"Then  you  had  better  tell  General  Petain  about 
it,"  declared  Hal. 

*T  suppose  I  should,"  said  Stubbs,  as  he  drew  out 
his  pipe  and  proceeded  to  fill  it. 

He  was  quiet  a  moment  as  he  ran  his  fingers  in 
his  vest  pocket,  seeking  a  match. 

"Say,  I'm  a  good  one,  ain't  I?"  he  demanded, 
forgetting  his  grammar  absolutely. 

"What's  the  matter  now?"  asked  Hal. 

"Matter  is  that  I  can  never  keep  a  match.  Have 
you  got  one?" 

"Fortunately  for  you,  I  have,"  said  Chester.  "I 
don't  carry  them,  as  a  rule,  having  no  use  for  them, 
but  I  chanced  to  find  a  box  of  safety  matches  to- 
day." 

He  reached  in  his  pocket  and  produced  the  box; 
and  as  he  did  so  the  little  black  pea  rolled  from  his 
pocket.  It  rolled  toward  Stubbs  and  the  little  man 
caught  it.  He  would  have  returned  it  to  Chester, 
but  as  he  started  to  do  so  he  took  a  close  look  at  it. 
He  gave  a  sudden  start  and  the  box  of  matches 
Chester  had  extended  to  him  dropped  to  the  floor 
even  as  his  fingers  would  have  closed  on  it. 

"H-m-m-m,"  he  muttered  to  himself.  "I  won- 
der. I  suppose  it  would  be  a  great  thing.  I  wonder." 


44  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Stubbs  picked  up  the  box  of  matches  and  pro- 
ceeded to  light  his  pipe  with  deliberation. 

"Well,  now  that  you  have  that  pipe  puffing,"  said 
Hal,  "what's  the  rest  of  this  story  of  yours  ?" 

"On  second  thought,"  said  Stubbs  calmly,  "I  have 
decided  to  keep  it  to  myself." 

"You're  not  going  to  tell  us  ?"  demanded  Chester. 

"No,"  said  Stubbs.  "By  the  way,  here's  your 
black  pea,"  for  Chester  had  not  noticed  that  he  had 
dropped  it. 

"Thanks,"  said  Chester,  taking  the  pea  and  drop- 
ping it  in  his  pocket,  "I  wouldn't  want  to  lose  it." 

"No,  I  guess  not,"  said  Stubbs  mysteriously. 
"Pretty  scarce  articles.  I  don't  suppose  you  could 
find  another  one  in  some  distance." 

"Oh,  yes,  you  could,"  said  Hal.  "I  have  one 
myself." 

"That  so?"  said  Stubbs,  and  added  to  himself: 
"I  thought  so,  but  I  wanted  to  make  sure." 

Hal  produced  his  black  pea.  Stubbs  examined  it 
carefully  and  passed  it  back  to  him. 

"Better  keep  it  in  a  safe  place,"  he  said.  "As  I 
say,  they  are  scarce  and  it  never  does  a  fellow  any 
good  to  lose  an>i;hing  when  there  is  anyone 
around." 

Hal  and  Chester  started  guiltily.  How  could 
Stubbs  know  they  had  found  the  peas  when  they 
fell  from  the  pocket  of  Jules  Clemenceau  ?  Stubbs, 
who  had  been  watching  the  two  closely,  observed 


AT  VERDUN  46 

these  sudden  starts  and  interpreted  them  to  his  own 
satisfaction. 

"Come  now,  Stubbs,"  said  Chester,  "tell  us  the 
rest  of  this  story  of  yours." 

"No,"  said  Stubbs,  "I  am  going  to  keep  it  to 
myself."  He  added  under  his  breath :  "The  young 
cubs !  Trying  to  pump  an  old-timer  like  me  to  see 
how  much  I  know !" 

"You  mean  you  are  not  even  going  to  tell  the 
general?"  asked  Hal. 

"That's  what  I  mean,"  said  Stubbs. 

Hal  and  Chester  exchanged  glances.  They  won- 
dered what  had  come  over  the  little  man  so  sud- 
denly. Stubbs  caught  the  interchange  of  glances 
and  again  he  read  it  wrong.  To  Stubbs  it  appeared 
that  there  was  relief  on  their  features. 

Stubbs  shook  his  head. 

"I'm  going  to  turn  in,"  he  said. 

Not  another  word  could  the  lads  get  out  of  him, 
try  as  they  would.  But  Stubbs,  on  his  cot,  did  not 
sleep  immediately.  Covertly  he  watched  the  two 
lads  as  they  talked  in  tones  too  low  for  him  to  hear,' 
strain  his  ears  as  he  would. 

"Well,  I  guess  I  don't  need  to  hear  'em,"  he  told 
himself.    "I  can  guess  what  it's  all  about." 

He  rolled  over  and  went  to  sleep. 

But  the  nature  of  the  lads'  conversation  was  a 
whole  lot  different  from  what  Stubbs  thought  it  was,' 
though  it  concerned  the  little  man  himself. 


^  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Something  wrong  with  him,"  said  Chester. 

"Right  you  are,"  agreed  Hal.  "Talks  like  we  had 
offended  him  or  something." 

"Maybe  he  just  wants  to  keep  us  guessing." 

"That  might  be  it.  Anyhow,  if  he  doesn't  tell 
us  tomorrow,  I'm  going  to  tell  him  what  I  think  of 
him." 

"Then  he  won't  talk,"  said  Chester. 

"We  might  be  able  to  get  him  mad  enough  to 
make  him  talk,"  returned  Hal. 

"By  Jove!  so  we  might,"  said  Chester.  "We'll 
have  a  try  at  it  tomorrow  if  it's  necessary," 

"All  right.  Then  let's  turn  in.  I've  a  feeling 
it's  going  to  be  a  strenuous  day  tomorrow." 

And  it  was ;  though  not  strenuous  in  the  way  Hal 
had  expected. 


AT  VERDUN  *7 


CHAPTER   VI 


A   PERILOUS   SITUATION 


Hal  and  Chester  held  no  conversation  with  An- 
thony Stubbs  the  following  day,  and  therefore  were 
unable  to  learn  more  than  they  already  knew  of 
the  war  correspondent's  great  "story." 

Before  they  rose  Stubbs  was  up  and  gone,  and 
when  he  returned,  several  hours  later,  Hal  and 
Chester  were  receiving  orders  from  General  Petain. 

The  German  advance  had  continued  the  day  be- 
fore in  spite  of  the  heroic  stand  of  the  French 
troops.  Successive  charges  by  the  Teuton  hordes 
had  driven  the  defenders  back  along  practically  the 
entire  front.  Here,  with  the  coming  of  night,  they 
had  taken  a  brace  with  the  arrival  of  reinforce-- 
ments  and  had  stemmed  the  tide;  but  not  a  man 
failed  to  realize  that  there  would  be  more  desper- 
ate work  on  the  morrow. 

The  French  lines  now  had  been  pushed  back  well 
to  the  west  of  the  city  of  Verdun  itself  and  the 
civil  population  of  the  town  had  fled.  The  town 
had  been  swept  by  the  great  German  guns  until 


48  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

hardly  one  stone  remained  upon  another.  North 
of  the  city,  the  French  had  been  bent  back  as  the 
Germans  thrust  a  wedge  into  the  defending  Hnes 
almost  to  the  foot  of  Dead  Man's  Hill, 

This  hill  was  of  particular  importance  to  the  Ger- 
mans, for  it  commanded  the  approach  on  all  sides; 
and  now  the  German  Prince  had  determined  upon 
its  capture.  General  Petain  anticipated  the  move 
and  acted  promptly. 

It  was  toward  this  point,  then,  that  Hal  and 
Chester  found  themselves  moving  upon  the  sixth 
day  of  the  great  battle.  They  bore  despatches  from 
General  Petain  and  each  bestrode  a  high-powered 
motorcycle,  which  the  French  commander  had 
placed  at  their  disposal.  The  two  lads  rode  swiftly, 
for  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost. 

Even  above  the  "pop-pop"  of  their  motorcycles 
could  be  heard  the  terrible  roar  of  the  German 
guns  as  they  were  brought  to  bear  on  Dead  Man's 
Hill,  paving  the  way  for  an  infantry  advance,  which 
was  to  come  a  few  hours  later.  It  was  risky  busi- 
ness upon  which  the  lads  were  bent,  for  the  great 
shells  struck  on  all  sides  of  them,  throwing  huge 
masses  of  dirt  in  the  air  like  giant  fountains  and 
digging  immense  excavations  in  the  hard  ground. 

But  the  lads  reached  their  destination  in  safety; 
and  here,  for  the  first  time,  Hal  and  Chester  were 
to  come  in  contact  with  a  new  method  of  fighting. 

General  Domont,  in  command  at  Dead  Man's 


AT  VERDUN  49 

Hill,  having  read  the  despatches  the  lads  carried, 
announced  that  they  would  remain  with  him  during 
the  day,  acting  as  members  of  his  staff.  He  or- 
dered Hal  forward  with  instructions  for  the  troops 
holding  the  crest  of  the  hill  to  the  north  and  Ches- 
ter was  despatched  upon  a  similar  mission  to  the 
south. 

Hardly  had  Chester  delivered  his  message  when 
a  shout  told  him  the  German  infantry  was  advanc- 
ing to  the  attack.  The  lad  glanced  around,  and  as 
he  did  so,  a  sharp  order  rang  out  and  a  moment 
later  the  French  troops  clamped  queer-looking  de- 
vices over  their  faces  and  heads. 

Chester  knew  what  they  were — gas  masks  to  pro- 
tect the  defenders  from  the  poisonous  vapors  of 
German  gas  bombs,  which,  had  the  defenders  not 
been  protected  by  masks,  would  have  killed  them 
instantly,  A  passing  officer  said  something  unintel- 
ligible to  the  lad  as  he  passed  and  pointed  to  the 
ground.  Glancing  down,  the  lad  perceived  a  mask 
and  then  understood  that  the  officer  had  meant  for 
him  to  put  it  on.  Chester  did  so,  though  not  with- 
out some  difficulty,  for  he  had  trouble  adjusting  it. 
But  with  his  nostrils  protected  at  last,  Chester 
turned  to  watch  the  approach  of  the  enemy. 

The  Germans  came  forward  in  a  dense  mass, 
despite  the  fearful  execution  worked  in  their  ranks 
by  the  French  guns.  In  the  lines  of  the  defenders 
dropped  huge  bombs  that  sent  up  dense  vapors— 


60  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

the  deadly  gasses  of  the  foe — ^but  they  caused  little 
harm,  for  the  French  were  protected.  Now  and 
then  a  man  fell,  however ;  perhaps  he  had  failed  to 
adjust  his  helmet  properly,  or  perhaps  it  was  not 
perfect.  But  for  the  most  part  the  gas  bombs  had 
little  effect. 

The  first  concerted  attack  of  the  German  troops 
availed  little;  and  after  trying  for  half  an  hour  to 
gain  a  foothold  in  the  French  lines  they  withdrew. 
But  a  second  attack  followed  a  few  moments  later. 
This  also  was  beaten  off.  A  third  attack,  however, 
met  with  better  success. 

This  time  the  Germans  succeeded  in  gaining  a 
hold  in  the  French  lines,  and  this  they  retained  in 
spite  of  repeated  counter  assaults  by  the  French. 
Bravely  the  men  charged,  but  they  could  make  no 
impression  on  the  positions  so  recently  won  by  the 
foe.  The  troops  of  the  German  Crown  Prince  stood 
firm. 

The  French  were  forced  to  retreat  toward  the 
summit  of  the  hill. 

Here  the  big  French  guns  opened  violently  upon 
the  enemy,  but  the  invaders  remained  in  spite  of  the 
hail  of  death. 

Chester  had  been  carried  back  with  the  French 
retreat  and  he  now  found  himself  almost  in  the 
first  line.  He  was  sadly  disappointed,  for  he  had 
felt  sure  that  the  French  effort  to  repel  the  attack 
'would  be  successful. 


AT  VERDUN  51 

His  men  still  falling  back  before  the  German  ad- 
vance, General  Domont  determined  upon  a  bold 
stroke.  Orders  were  given  thick  and  fast.  Hal  and 
Chester,  returning  from  their  first  missions  of  the 
day,  found  themselves  again  near  the  front.  The 
orders  to  the  various  French  divisional  command- 
ers were  explicit.  As  the  Germans  advanced  again 
to  the  attack,  the  French,  too,  all  along  the  line, 
were  to  take  the  offensive. 

The  men  awaited  the  word  eagerly. 

At  last  it  came.  With  a  shout  the  French,  still 
wearing  their  gas  masks,  hurled  themselves  for- 
ward with  the  troops.  -^ 

Halfway  down  the  hill  the  lines  met  with  a  crash. 
Rifles  and  small  arms  were  fired  point  blank  into 
the  very  faces  of  the  foe  and  then  the  men  fell  to 
the  work  with  bayonets.  Both  sides  fought  des- 
perately. 

Hal  and  Chester  had  drawn  their  swords  and 
found  themselves  engaged  with  the  troops.  So  close 
was  the  fighting  that  had  it  not  been  for  the  differ- 
ence in  uniform  it  would  have  been  practically  im- 
possible to  distinguish  friend  from  foe. 

Hal  found  himself  engaged  with  a  German  officer 
of  huge  stature,  who  was  endeavoring  to  bring  the 
lad  to  earth  by  fierce  sweeping  blows  of  his  officer's 
sword.     Hal  was  hard  pressed  to  defend  himself. 

As  the  German's  sword  descended  in  a  stroke  of 
extra  violence,  Hal  stepped  lightly  aside  and  evaded 


62  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

the  blow.  Before  the  German  could  recover  him- 
self, Hal  moved  quickly  forward.  There  was  a 
sudden,  quick  movement  of  his  arm  and  the  Ger- 
man officer  toppled  over,  to  rise  no  more. 

Hal  turned  just  in  time  to  see  a  second  German 
officer  level  a  revolver  straight  at  his  head.  The 
lad  ducked  and  the  ball  passed  harmlessly  over  his 
head.  Before  the  German's  finger  could  press  the 
trigger  again  Hal  had  raised  his  arm  and  struck. 

Chester,  in  the  meantime,  had  his  own  hands  full. 
He  had  accounted  for  a  German  trooper  who  had 
sought  to  bring  his  rifle  butt  down  on  the  lad's  head 
and  was  now  engaged  with  two  other  troopers,  who 
sought  to  end  his  career  with  bayonets. 

Chester  sprang  nimbly  back  as  the  two  men  ad- 
vanced on  him.  One  tripped  and  stumbled  over  a 
fallen  comrade  and  as  he  did  so  Chester  took  ad- 
vantage of  his  misfortune  to  strike  with  his  sword. 
But  the  second  German  protected  his  fellow  by 
catching  Chester's  stroke  with  his  bayonet  and  for 
a  moment  Chester  was  at  a  disadvantage. 

Even  as  the  bayonet  of  the  first  trooper,  who  had 
regained  his  balance,  would  have  pierced  him,  how- 
ever, Chester  dropped  flat  on  the  ground  and  seized 
one  of  the  man's  legs.  The  German  dropped  his 
bayonet  and  crashed  to  the  ground.  Chester  sprang 
up  quickly  and  jumped  to  one  side  to  escape  the 
point  of  the  bayonet  in  the  hands  of  the  second 
trooper. 


AT  VERDUN  53 

Chester  thrust  with  his  sword,  but  the  effort  was 
futile.  The  point  of  the  lad's  sword  fell  short. 
Again  the  lad  was  at  a  disadvantage  and  the  Ger- 
man grinned  as  he  stepped  forward  to  end  the  com- 
bat. His  bayonet  was  pointed  straight  at  the  lad's 
breast  and  it  seemed  as  though  nothing  but  a  mir- 
acle could  save  the  boy. 

But  the  miracle  happened.  Suddenly  the  Ger- 
man dropped  his  bayonet  with  a  crash  and  threw 
up  both  arms.  He  spun  on  his  heel  and  then  fell 
to  the  ground  without  an  outcry.  A  stray  bullet 
had  done  what  Chester  had  been  unable  to  accom- 
plish, and  for  the  moment  the  lad  was  safe. 

The  second  trooper  now  returned  to  the  attack 
and  engaged  Chester  fiercely.  All  this  time  the 
French  were  gradually  being  forced  back,  and  of  a 
sudden  Chester  found  himself  the  center  of  a  mass 
of  German  troops. 

But  the  lad  had  no  mind  to  give  up.  Throwing 
caution  to  the  winds,  he  now  struck  out  swiftly  and 
sharply  with  his  sword.  Once  or  twice  the  thrusts 
went  home.  Chester  felt  a  sting  in  his  left  shoul- 
der. The  bayonet  of  a  German  trooper  had  pricked 
him  slightly.  Chester  whirled  about  and  seized  the 
bayonet  with  his  left  hand.  A  powerful  wrench 
and  it  was  wrested  from  the  hands  of  the  German 
soldier,  who  had  been  caught  off  his  guard. 

Without  taking  time  to  reverse  the  weapon,  Ches- 
ter hurled  it  in  the  faces  of  the  foe  who  pressed 


54  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

in  about  him.  It  struck  one  man  squarely  on  the 
forehead  and  he  toppled  over  with  a  groan. 

Again  Chester  laid  about  him  with  his  sword, 
retreating  slowly  as  he  did  so.  The  gas  helmet  that 
he  wore  impeded  his  progress  somewhat,  for  it  was 
strange  to  his  head  and  felt  uncomfortable.  Now 
the  lad  realized  for  the  first  time  that  the  Germans 
before  him  also  wore  the  heavy  helmets. 

He  aimed  a  blow  at  one  man's  breast  and  it  went 
home.  At  the  same  moment  a  second  German 
brought  his  rifle  butt  down  upon  the  lad's  sword  and 
the  weapon  snapped  off.  Chester  felt  a  second 
sting  in  his  arm  and  then  he  felt  a  blow  across  the 
helmet. 

There  was  a  sudden  roaring  sound,  Chester  saw 
a  million  stars  flash  through  the  air ;  then  he  threw 
up  his  arms,  made  a  move  to  step  forward  and 
crashed  to  the  ground. 

The  last  blow  had  broken  open  Chester's  gas  hel- 
met and  the  lad  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  poisonous 
vapors ! 


AT  VERDUN  56 


CHAPTER   VII 

HAL     TO     THE     RESCUE 

At  the  same  moment  that  Chester  fell  to  the 
ground,  the  clear  note  of  a  bugle  rang  out  from  the 
German  rear,  sounding  the  recall.  The  attack  was 
to  be  given  up.  The  resistance  of  the  French  had 
been  too  much  for  the  foe. 

Hal,  who  had  been  retreating  with  the  other 
French  troops,  turned  a  second  before  the  recall 
was  sounded  just  in  time  to  see  a  single  form  that 
had  been  struggling  with  a  knot  of  the  enemy  crash 
to  the  ground.  Hal  gave  a  loud  cry,  which  was 
stifled  by  his  gas  helmet,  for  he  felt  sure  that  it  was 
Chester. 

It  was  at  that  moment  the  German  bugle  sounded 
the  recall. 

Hal  dashed  toward  the  spot  where  Chester  had 
fallen.  A  score  of  enemy  troops,  perceiving  his 
approach,  stayed  their  retreat  and  offered  him  battle. 
Hal  was  nothing  loath.  He  dashed  toward  them  at 
top  speed. 

Other  French  troops,  seeing  one  of  their  num- 


66  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

ber  dashing  forward,  and  perceiving  his  peril, 
jumped  to  the  rescue.  Still  more  Germans  turned 
and  more  French  dashed  forward.  For  a  moment 
it  seemed  that  the  struggle  would  be  renewed  in 
spite  of  the  order  for  a  German  recall. 

Hal  dashed  among  the  foe  with  sword  flashing 
aloft.  Right  and  left  he  slashed  and  the  Germans 
gave  way  before  his  fury.  Then  they  closed  in. 
Almost  at  the  same  moment  the  French  troops  came 
to  his  assistance.  Again  the  recall  was  sounded 
from  the  German  rear.  The  few  of  the  foe  who 
apparently  had  Hal  at  their  mercy  heeded  this  sec- 
ond call  reluctantly.  They  drew  off  slowly,  open- 
ing upon  the  advancing  French  with  their  rifles  as 
they  did  so.  The  French  returned  the  fire  and  the 
Germans  retreated  faster. 

Apparently  it  was  not  the  plan  of  General  Domont 
to  follow  up  the  retreating  Germans,  for  there  came 
no  order  for  a  charge.  Instead,  the  French  com- 
mander apparently  was  satisfied  with  having  broken 
down  the  German  attack.  He  had  no  intention  of 
sacrificing  more  of  his  men  in  a  useless  pursuit  that 
would  bring  them  again  under  the  mouths  of  the 
big  German  guns. 

Quickly  Hal  bent  over  Chester.  The  latter  had 
fallen  with  his  face  on  the  ground,  and  this  fact 
undoubtedly  had  saved  his  life.  He  was  uncon- 
scious and  his  nose  was  buried  in  the  dirt.  He  had 
almost  suffocated,  but  this  fact  had  saved  him  from 


AT  VERDUN  67 

the  poisonous  gases.  Hal  stripped  the  gas  helmet 
from  a  dead  French  soldier  and  slipped  it  over 
Chester's  head.  Then  he  lifted  his  chum  from  the 
ground  and  started  toward  the  rear,  supporting  the 
unconscious  figure  as  well  as  he  could. 

Several  French  troopers  ran  to  his  assistance. 
Hal  lowered  Chester  to  the  ground  and  put  both 
hands  under  his  chum's  head.  He  motioned  one  of 
the  French  soldiers  to  take  Chester's  feet,  and  in 
this  manner  they  carried  Chester  from  the  danger 
zone. 

Hal  did  not  rest  easily  until  after  a  French  sur- 
geon had  pronounced  Chester  little  the  worse  for 
his  experience.  Two  bayonet  wounds  in  the  lad's 
arm  were  found  to  be  mere  scratches. 

"He'll  pull  round  in  a  day  or  two,"  said  the  sur- 
geon. "In  the  meantime  it  would  be  well  to  keep 
him  as  quiet  as  possible,  though  he  is  in  no 
danger." 

Hal  thanked  the  surgeon,  and  leaving  Chester  in 
safe  hands,  sought  out  General  Domont  and  ex- 
plained the  circumstances  to  him, 

"And  I  would  like  to  get  him  back  to  my  own 
quarters,"  he  concluded. 

"Very  well,"  said  General  Domont.  "I  shall 
place  an  automobile  at  your  disposal." 

The  French  officer  was  as  good  as  his  word  and 
in  a  high-power  motor  car  Hal  and  Chester,  the 
latter  having  regained  consciousness,  were  soon  oh 


58  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

their  way  to  headquarters,  Hal  bearing  General 
Domont's  report  on  the  morning's  encounter. 

Hal  went  first  to  the  quarters  of  General  Petain, 
where  he  delivered  General  Domont's  report;  then 
he  accompanied  Chester  to  their  own  quarters, 
where  he  made  Chester  as  comfortable  as  possible. 

He  was  just  about  to  leave  Chester  alone, 
when  another  figure  entered  the  tent.  It  was 
Stubbs. 

"Hello,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  said  Chester  from  his  cot. 
"Where  have  you  been  all  summer?" 

"Summer?"  said  Mr.  Stubbs,  removing  his  over- 
coat.   "This  is  the  month  of  Febraury," 

"All  right;  have  it  your  own  way,"  said  Chester. 

"Well,  I've  just  been  having  a  look  around," 
said  Stubbs. 

"Find  out  anything  more  about  the  conspiracy  ?'* 
asked  Hal. 

"WTiat  conspiracy?"  demanded  Stubbs. 

"Why,  the  one  you  were  telling  us  about  the  otheF 
night,"  exclaimed  Chester. 

Stubbs  looked  at  the  lad  critically. 

"Wounded  today,  weren't  you?"  he  asked. 

"A  trifle,"  returned  Chester. 

"Any  fever?"  asked  Stubbs. 

"No,"  said  Hal.  "Why?" 

"Why?  He's  dreaming  things.  What's  this  con- 
spiracy he's  talking  about  ?" 

Chester  sat  up  in  his  cot. 


AT  VERDUN  69 

"You  don't  mean  to  tell  me  you  don't  remember 
what  you  told  us  about  it?"  he  demanded. 

Stubbs  tapped  his  head  with  a  significant  gesture 
and  nodded  to  Hal. 

"Did  you  have  a  surgeon  look  at  him  ?"  he  asked. 

"Look  here,  Stubbs "  began  Chester  angrily. 

"Here,  here,"  interposed  Hal.  "You  lie  down 
there,  Chester.     I'll  talk  to  our  friend  here." 

At  this  Mr.   Stubbs  moved  toward  the  outside. 

"I've  got  to  be  going  now,"  he  announced. 

"Well,  you're  not  going  to  go  until  you  tell  me 
what  all  this  foolishness  is  about,"  declared  Hal. 

"Foolishness  ?" 

"Yes,  foolishness.  You  can't  deny,  can  you,  that 
that  you  told  us  the  other  night  you  had  unearthed 
a  conspiracy  of  some  kind  ?" 

"I  can,"  said  Stubbs,  "but  I  won't.  It's  my  belief 
that  there  is  something  wrong  with  both  of  you. 
What  would  I  know  about  a  conspiracy  ?" 

"That's  what  I  would  like  to  know,"  returned 
Chester,  from  his  cot.  "If  you  won't  tell  us,  I've  a 
notion  to  tell  General  Petain  what  you  told  us." 

"I  wouldn't  if  I  were  you,"  said  Stubbs.  "It  would- 
n't do  you  any  good.  He  probably  would  think  your 
wound  had  affected  your  mind.  That's  what  I  think." 

"Oh,  no  you  don't,"  said  Hal.  "You  are  just  try- 
ing to  keep  the  thing  to  yourself,  whatever  it  is. 
Maybe  you're  going  to  slip  it  by  the  censor  to  the 
Gazette,  eh?" 


60  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Stubbs  made  no  reply 

"If  I  thought  that,  I  would  tell  General  Petain," 
declared  Chester. 

"It  must  be  a  great  thing  to  have  such  imagina- 
tions," said  Stubbs  with  something  like  a  sigh. 
"Some  of  these  days,  if  you  like,  I'll  get  you  both 
jobs  on  the  Gazette." 

"Now  look  here,  Stubbs,"  said  Hal.  "Laying  all 
joking  aside,  are  you  going  to  tell  us  about  this  thing 
or  not  ?" 

"What  thing?"  demanded  Stubbs. 

"By  George!"  ejaculated  Hal  in  exasperation. 
"You're  the  limit,  Stubbs." 

"Sure  I  am,"  was  the  little  man's  smiling  response. 
"Otherwise,  I  wouldn't  be  in  this  tent  with 
you." 

"Stubbs,"  said  Chester,  a  sudden  idea  striking  him, 
"have  we  done  something  you  don't  like?" 

"You  have,"  was  Stubbs'  reply. 

"By  Jove!"  said  Hal.  "We're  sorry  for  that, 
Stubbs.  We  apologize.  Will  you  tell  us  what  we've 
done?" 

Stubbs  looked  at  the  lad  with  a  peculiar  smile 
on  his  face.  He  was  silent  several  moments  before 
replying : 

"You  don't  know,  eh?" 

"Of  course  not." 

Stubbs  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  started  out  of 
the  tent. 


AT  VERDUN  61 

"Say!"  Chester  called  after  him,  "are  you  going 
to  tell  us  or  not  ?" 

"Not!"  said  Stubbs  briefly,  and  was  gone. 

"Now  what  do  you  think  of  that?"  demanded 
Chester  of  his  chum. 

"There's  something  wrong  with  him,"  was  Hal's 
reply.  "I  haven't  any  idea  what  it  can  be." 

"Suppose  it  is  because  we  were  poking  fun  at  him 
the  other  night?" 

"I  don't  know.  I  don't  believe  he  would  take  a 
thing  like  that  to  heart.  However,  you  can't  tell." 

"Anyhow,"  said  Chester,  "we're  not  likely  to 
find  out  what  it's  all  about  until  he  gets  good  and 
ready  to  tell  us." 

"You're  right,  there,"  returned  Hal.  "He  can  be 
as  mum  as  an  oyster  when  he  wants  to.  Well,  old 
boy,  I'll  leave  you  alone  now  and  go  out  and  look 
around  a  bit.  Alaybe  I  can  stumble  on  this  conspi- 
racy Stubbs  talks  about." 

"You  mean  the  one  he  won't  talk  about,"  said 
Chester  with  a  smile.  "All  right.  Go  ahead.  I'll  take 
a  little  snooze." 

He  rolled  over  on  his  side  as  Hal  left  the  tent. 

How  long  Chester  slept  he  did  not  know,  but  it 
was  dark  in  the  tent  when  he  opened  his  eyes. 

"Wonder  what  can  be  keeping  Hal?"  he  mut- 
tered to  himself. 

Hardly  had  spoken  the  words  when  a  form  came 
through  the  entrance  to  the  tent.  Chester  was  about 


62  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

to  speak,  for  he  thought  at  first  that  it  was  Hal,  but 
something  seemed  to  tell  him  to  remain  silent.  The 
lad,  therefore,  said  nothing. 

At  second  glance  Chester  realized  that  the  figure 
that  had  entered  the  tent  was  not  Hal.  Neither  was 
it  Stubbs, 

"Great  Scott !"  muttered  the  lad  to  himself.  "Won- 
der who  he  is  and  what  he  wants  here?  He  hasn't 
seen  me  though.  Guess  I'll  wait  and  see  what 
happens." 

The  lad  stretched  out  a  hand  carefully  and  drew 
toward  him  a  camp  stool  upon  which  he  had  laid  his 
clothes  before  going  to  bed.  Without  a  sound  he  se- 
cured one  of  his  revolvers  and  straightened  to  a  sit- 
ting posture. 

"I'm  ready  for  whatever  happens,"  he  told  him- 
self. 

The  intruder  had  now  taken  up  such  a  position  in 
the  tent  as  to  command  a  view  of  the  entrance, 
shielded  from  sight  himself.  Chester  saw  something 
glisten  in  the  man's  hand. 

"Gun,"  said  the  boy  to  himself.  "Guess  I  can  be^t 
him  to  it." 

Came  footsteps  without.  They  stopped  just  out- 
side the  tent.  Chester  saw  the  nocturnal  visitor  in  the 
tent  raise  his  revolver  arm.  Chester  did  likewise. 

"I'll  just  shoot  that  gun  out  of  your  hand,  my 
friend,"  he  said  quietly. 

He  took  deliberate  aim. 


AT  VERDUN  63 


CHAPTER  VIII 


\N  UNKNOWN  ENEMY 


The  footsteps  outside  came  nearer  the  entrance. 
Chester's  finger  tightened  on  the  trigger  of  his  re- 
volver, as  he  saw  the  stranger  in  the  tent  draw  him- 
self taut. 

At  that  moment  Hal's  figure  appeared  in  the  en- 
trance. 

There  were  two  sharp  cracks,  so  close  that  they 
seemed  as  one,  and  two  spurts  of  flame  in  the  dark- 
ness. Came  a  cry  of  pain  from  the  stranger  in  the 
tent  and  Hal  dashed  forward. 

"Quick,  Hal!  Grab  him!"  .shouted  Chester. 

But  quick  as  he  was,  Hal  was  not  quick  enough. 
With  a  snarl  the  man  jumped  toward  Hal  even  as 
Hal  leaped  himself.  The  stranger  was  of  much  great- 
er bulk  than  Hal  and  the  lad  was  hurled  to  the 
ground.  When  he  regained  his  feet  the  stranger  "had 
disappeared. 

Chester,  unmindful  of  his  wound,  had  leaped  from 
his  cot  and  now  ran  outside.  Some  distance  away  he 
saw  a  figure  disappear  in  the  darkness.  The  lad  did 


64  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

not  fire  a  second  shot,  for  at  that  distance  he  could 
not  be  sure  of  a  hit  and  he  did  not  wish  further  to 
alarm  the  camp. 

Hal  struck  a  light  and  the  two  chums  looked  at 
each  other. 

"Did  you  get  a  look  at  him,  Hal  ?"  asked  Chester. 

"No,  did  you?" 

"No.  He  was  in  the  tent  for  some  time,  but 
I  waited  until  I  was  sure  what  he  was  going  to  do  be- 
fore I  fired,  though  I  had  him  covered  all  the  time." 

"You  must  be  losing  your  eye.  At  that  dis- 
tance you  should  you  should  have  potted  him  with- 
out trouble." 

"I  guess  I  could  have  done  it  this  time  had  I 
tried,"  returned  Chester.     "I  shot  at  his  revolver." 

"Well,  I  guess  you  hit  it,"  said  Hal.  "There  it  is, 
right  where  he  dropped  it.  But  his  bullet  whistled 
pretty  close  to  my  ear." 

"I  suppose  I  shouldn't  have  taken  a  chance,"  said 
Chester.  "Next  time  I'll  shoot  to  hit  something  bet- 
ter than  a  pistol." 

"Well,  it  doesn't  make  any  difference  now,"  said 
Hal.  "He  didn't  get  me.  I  wonder  who  he  is  and 
what  he  wanted  to  shoot  me  for?" 

"You've  got  me,  look  at  the  gun  and  see  if  there 
is  any  mark  of  identification  on  it." 

Hal  stooped  over  and  picked  up  the  revolver. 
He  examined  it  carefully  and  then  passed  it  to 
Chester. 


AT  VERDUN  65 

**Can't  find  anything,"  he  said. 

Chester  examined  the  weapon  with  no  better  suc- 
cess. 

"Well,"  he  said  at  last,  slowly,  "there  is  one  thing 
certain.  You've  an  enemy  of  some  kind  in  the  camp. 
It  will  behoove  you  to  be  careful  in  the  future." 

"I  suppose  the  bullet  was  meant  for  me,"  said 
Hal,  "although,  of  course  it  might  have  been  meant 
for  either  you  or  Stubbs." 

"Great  Scott !  What  would  anybody  want  to  shoot 
Stubbs  for?" 

"Well,  you  can  search  me,"  said  Hal  with  a  shrug 
of  his  shoulders,  "which  may  not  be  very  good  Eng- 
lish, but  expresses  my  sentiments  just  the  same." 

"How  about  Stubbs'  conspiracy?  Maybe  one  of 
the  conspirators  has  caught  Stubbs  nosing  about." 

"By  Jove !  It  might  be  that,  after  all,"  said  Hal. 
"I  wonder!" 

"At  all  events,  we  shall  all  have  to  be  on  our 
guard,"  declared  Chester.  "We  don't  know  for  which 
of  us  the  bullet  was  meant.  We'll  have  to  warn 
Stubbs." 

"So  we  shall,  and  if  I  mistake  not  here  he  comes 
now." 

Hal  was  right.  A  moment  later  the  rotund  face 
of  the  little  war  correspondent  appeared  in  the  tent 
entrance. 

"Stubbs,"  said  Hal  gravely,  "  you  missed  getting 
killed  by  just  about  five  minutes." 


66  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

The  little  man  started  back  in  alarm. 

"Wha what's  that?"  he  demanded. 

"I  said  you  just  escaped  getting  killed." 

"But  who  would  want  to  kill  me?"  demanded 
Stubbs,  plainly  very  nervous. 

"It  might  have  been  one  of  your  conspirators," 
said  Hal.  He  displayed  the  weapon  from  which  a 
bullet  had  sped  toward  his  own  head. 

"Hey!"  shouted  Stubbs.  "Put  that  gun  down! 
Don't  shoot !" 

The  little  man  was  so  visibly  frightened  that  Hal 
looked  at  him  in  surprise. 

"Surely  you  didn't  think  I  was  going  to  shoot  you, 
Mr.  Stubbs?"  he  asked  in  some  surprise. 

"I  don't  know,"  returned  Stubbs,  wiping  a  moist 
brow  with  his  handkerchief.  "I  don't  understand 
you  fellows  at  all.  First  you  said  you  wanted  to  kill 
me  five  minutes  ago  and  there  you  stand  with  a  gun 
in  your  hand.    What  am  I  to  think?" 

"Stubbs,  you're  crazy,"  said  Hal,  calmly.  "I 
didn't  say  I  wanted  to  kill  you.  When  I  came  into 
the  tent  just  now  there  was  a  man  took  a  shot  at  me, 
I  don't  know  whether  he  wanted  to  kill  me,  or 
whether  he  wanted  to  kill  you.  He  may  even  have 
been  trying  to  kill  Chester.  He  didn't  take  time  to 
investigate.  He  fired  at  the  first  figure  to  enter  the 
tent.  I  don't  know  who  he  was.  Have  you  any 
enemies?" 

"I_I Why  I  don't  know,"  said  Stubbs. 


AT  VERDUN  67 

"How  about  the  conspirators.  Do  any  of  them 
know  you  ?" 

"What  conspirators?"  demanded  Stubbs,  an(^ 
added,  "I  wish  you  would  quit  harping  on  that  sub- 
ject. It's  all  right  to  have  a  little  fun  with  me 
once  in  a  while.  I  don't  mind  it;  but  enough 
is  enough." 

Chester  was  about  to  make  an  angry  retort,  but 
Hal  stayed  him  with  a  word. 

"All  right,  Stubbs,"  he  said.  "If  you  don't  know 
anything  about  a  conspiracy  you  don't  and  that's  all 
there  is  about  that.  But  if  you  do,  I  should  advise 
you  to  be  careful.  I  believe  that  shot  was  meant  for 
you." 

"I  am  afraid  that  this  tent  is  going  to  be  danger- 
ous for  me,"  said  Stubbs,  slowly.  "I  shall  remain 
here  no  longer." 

"What !  Not  going  to  leave  us,  Stubbs  ?"  exclaim- 
ed Chester. 

"Yes,"  returned  the  little  man  quietly.  "If  I  re- 
main here  I'm  liable  to  wake  up  dead  some  morning, 
and  I  wouldn't  like  that.  There's  an  expression  in 
New  York  that  hits  me  just  right.  'Safety  first!' 
I'm  going  to  get  out  of  this  tent,  and  I'm  going  to 
get  out  right  now,  while  I'm  all  together." 

He  hurried  to  the  far  side  of  the  tent  and  got  his 
belongings  together.  Then  he  moved  toward  the 
door.  There  he  paused  a  moment,  as  if  undecided; 
then  walked  up  to  Hal  and  extended  a  hand. 


68  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Goodbye,  Hal,"  he  said  quietly.  "I  may  not  see 
you  for  some  time  and  then  again  it  again  it  may  be 
soon." 

Hal  took  the  hand  as  he  said : 

"Look  here,  Stubbs,  we  don't  like  to  lose  you." 

"I  know,  I  know,"  said  the  little  man,  "but  it  will 
be  better  for  all  concerned." 

He  approached  Chester  and  extended  a  hand  to 
him  also. 

■  "Come  now,  Stubbs,"  said  Chester.  "Drop  those 
things  back  down  there  and  go  to  bed." 

"Not  much,"  replied  Stubbs  grimly.  "I'm  going 
to  hunt  a  safer  spot  than  this." 

He  released  Chester's  hand  and  made  his  way 
to  the  door.  There,  just  before  moving  away,  he 
turned  and  spoke. 

"Boys,"  he  said,  "we've  been  pretty  good  friends, 
the  three  of  us,  haven't  we?" 

"You  bet  we  have,  Stubbs,"  returned  Chester 
warmly. 

"We  certainly  have,  Mr.   Stubbs,"   Hal  agreed. 

"All  right,  then,"  said  the  little  man.  "You  both 
have  been  good  enough  to  tell  me  once  or  twice  that 
I  have  been  of  some  service  to  you." 

"You  certainly  have,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  declared 
Hal,  "and  anything  we  can  do  to  repay  you " 

"Never  mind  that,"  said  Stubbs  with  a  wave 
of  the  hand.  "All  I  want  to  say  is  this:  H,  at  any 
time,  within  a  day  or  two  or  within  a  month  or 


AT  VERDUN  69 

two,  I  do  anything  you  don't  like,  anything 
that  puts  you  to  some  inconvenience — you  will 
know  that  I  am  doing  it  for  your  own  good — • 
because  I  am  fond  of  both  of  you  and  don't  want 
to  see  you  get  in  trouble." 

"Say,  Stubbs,  what  on  earth  are  you  talking 
about?"  asked  Chester  in  great  surprise. 

"Never  mind  what  I'm  talking  about,"  re- 
turned Stubbs,  half  angrily.  "I  just  want  you  to 
remember  what  I  am  saying." 

"  We'll  remember,  if  that  will  do  you  any  good,'* 
said  Chester,  "but  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  what 
it  is  all  about." 

"I  may  not  be  talking  about  anything,  and  then 
I  may  be  talking  about  a  whole  lot,"  was  Stubbs* 
enigmatical  response.     "Time  will  tell." 

"Time  will  tell  what,  Mr.  Stubbs?"  demanded 
Hal. 

"Oh,  rats !"  said  Stubbs.  "I  haven't  time  to  stay 
here  and  talk  to  you  fellows  all  night.  Just  re- 
member what  I  said.    That's  all." 

He  stepped  out  the  tent  and  was  gone. 

Hal  and  Chester  gazed  at  one  another  in  the 
utmost  surprise. 

"What  in  the  time  of  the  Czar  do  you  suppose 
he  was  talking  about?"   asked  Chester. 

"I'm  not  good  at  conundrums,"  replied  Hal. 
"He's  got  something  on  his  mind,  all  right." 

"Providing  he  has  a  mind  left,"  agreed  Chester. 


70  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Hal  smiled. 

"From  the  way  he  talked  that  fact  is  open  to 
doubt,"  he  replied. 

"I  didn't  think  he  was  a  drinking  man,"  said 
Chester. 

"Oh,  he  was  sober  enough.  By  the  way,  did  you 
notice  his  hesitation  when  I  asked  him  if  he  had  any 
enemies?" 

"By  George!  I  did.  He  couldn't  answer.  I'll  bet 
he  knows  more  about  the  man  that  fired  that  shot 
at  you  than  he  is  willing  to  admit." 

"It  looks  like  it,"  Hal  agreed.  "From  his  actions, 
I  would  judge  that  the  shot  was  meant  for 
him." 

"Exactly,"  said  Chester,  "and  he  knows  who  it 
was  that  fired  it." 

"Well,  there  is  no  use  talking  about  it,"  declared 
Hal.  "We  can't  possibly  figure  it  out  ourselves. 
One  thing,  though,  we  shall  have  to  be  on  our 
guard.  The  unknown  enemy  may  not  know  that 
Stubbs  has  moved  and  may  try  again." 

"Right,"  said  Chester.  "We'll  have  to  sleep  with 
one  eye  open." 

"Oh,  we're  safe  enough  tonight,"  said  Hal. 
"He'll  figure  we'll  be  on  the  watch  and  will  post- 
pone his  next  visit  for  a  day  or  two.  By  the  way, 
old  man,  how  do  you  feel?" 

"First  rate.  I'll  be  as  good  as  new  in  the  morn- 
ing." 


AT  VERDUN  Yi 

"I  hope  so.  In  that  event  we  had  better  get  a  httle 
sleep." 

"Then  you  don't  think  it  necessary  for  one  of 
us  to  stand  watch?" 

"No;  here  goes  for  bed." 


72  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  IX 


IN  THE  TRENCHES 


In  some  manner,  known  only  to  himself,  Anthonjr 
Stubbs,  war  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Ga- 
sette,  had  ingratiated  himself  with  General  Petain, 
the  French  commander  at  Verdun.  General  Petain, 
upon  Stubbs'  request,  agreed  that  the  little  war 
•  '  correspondent  should  be  allowed  to  make  a  tour 
r^  ,  of  the  pity  of  Verdun  and  the  surrounding  forti- 

fications and  view  for  himself  the  effects  of  the 
siege  thus  far. 

An  officer  of  the  general  staff  was  assigned  by 
the  French  commander  to  show  Stubbs  about.  It 
was  the  first  time  a  war  correspondent  had  been 
admitted  to  Verdun  and  the  surrounding  forti- 
fications; and  because  of  the  things  that  Stubbs 
learned  on  the  tour,  it  is  fitting  that  the  reader 
take  the  trip  with  him. 

The  offcer  first  led  Stubbs  to  the  highest  point 
on  the  walls  encircling  Verdun  and  there  explained 
the  lay-out  of  the  contending  forces.  From  this 
point  of  vantage,  commanding  the  battlefield,  Ver- 
dun looked  like  the  center  of  a  huge  saucer,  with 


AT  VERDUN  73 

the  town  lying  very  low,  while  all  around  rose  an 
even  circle  of  crests  forming  the  outer  edge  of  the 
saucer. 

The  dangerous  proximity  of  the  Germans  was 
apparent.  At  the  time  that  Stubbs  viewed  the  battle- 
field the  armies  of  the  Kaiser  held  a  goodly  portion 
of  these  crests,  though  the  battle  of  Verdun  wa 
less  than  two  weeks  old. 

An  intermittent  bombardment  was  in  progress 
from  Fort  Tavennes,  Fort  Soueville,  Fort  St.  Mi- 
chael and  Fort  Belleville,  which  were  barking  stead- 
ily and  giving  off  jets  of  black  smoke.  The  German 
cannonade  sounded  like  a  distant  roar.  The  shell- 
ing of  Verdun  was  continuing. 

Three  hundred  shells  a  day  had  been  hurled  in- 
to Verdun  itself  during  the  battle,  Stubbs  was  in- 
formed by  the  French  officer,  upon  one  day  as 
many  as  750  having  been  counted;  but  the  average 
was  300.  As  the  two  stood  there  a  French  aeroplane 
was  attacked  by  a  German  gun,  shrapnel  bursting 
all  around  as  the  machine  turned  from  the  German 
positions  and  darted  back  to  French  cover. 

The  terrible  course  of  the  destruction  was  point- 
ed out  by  the  French  officer.  The  town  itself  had 
been  abandoned  by  the  civil  population,  and  even 
few  troops  were  to  be  found  there.  Such  shops  and 
houses  as  had  escaped  the  shells  were  closed  and 
barricaded;  and  the  shells  continued  to  fall. 

The    streets   were   crumbling   ruins,    with    only 


74  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

jagged  walls  remaining  here  and  there.  The  ca- 
thedral had  two  shell  holes  in  the  roof;  the  main 
altar  was  a  mass  of  debris  and  the  side  altar  was 
littered  with  broken  carvings,  statues  and  chande- 
liers. 

One  wing  of  the  handsome  military  club  was 
torn  off  and  the  whole  establishment  was  a  wreck. 
The  archbishop's  residence  had  its  famous  sculp- 
tured walls  peppered  with  shell  holes  and  the  ad- 
joining College  of  Marguerite  had  its  delicate  stone 
filigree  reduced  almost  to  powder.  The  houses  along 
the  Meuse,  flanking  the  principal  bridge,  were  li- 
terally wrecked. 

Sixteen  great  shells  had  struck  the  town  hall; 
one  corner  of  the  building  had  been  torn  off  and 
the  clock  tower  smashed.  The  mayor's  office  was 
being  used  as  an  emergency  butcher  shop. 

Stubbs'  guide  now  led  him  to  one  of  the  inner 
forts  of  the  fortifications,  which  was  still  shelling 
the  Germans,  From  here  Stubbs  gained  a  view  of 
the  fighting  ground  of  Fleury  at  close  range.  Over 
the  entrance  of  the  fort  was  a  notice  to  the  gar- 
rison that  the  fort  was  to  be  levelled  in  extremity 
and  never  surrendered. 

Fleury,  lying  to  the  right  of  Verdun,  showed  not 
a  house  standing.  The  great  German  guns  had  car- 
ried all  before  them.  The  whole  village  was  a  mass 
of  ruins.  At  the  moment  the  village  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  French.  It  had  been  occupied  twice 


AT  VERDUN  76 

by  the  Germans,  but  only  the  day  before  had  again 
been  captured  by  the  French,  Although  Stubbs  did 
not  know  it,  the  little  village  was  to  change  hands 
a  score  of  times  more  in  the  months  that  were  to 
follow. 

As  Stubbs'  guide  pointed  out  the  various  points 
destroyed  by  German  shells,  he  gave  the  little  man 
an  account  of  the  fighting  in  each  spot.  He  pointed 
out  the  advantages  of  earthen  breastworks  as 
against  the  solid  walls  of  fortresses.  The  effective- 
ness of  the  former  was  very  plain. 

Stubbs  and  his  guide  now  returned  to  the  ci- 
tadel of  Verdun,  where  Stubbs  thanked  General 
Petain  for  being  allowed  to  make  the  tour  of  in- 
spection. Gathered  about  the  commander  were 
many  members  of  his  staff,  who  joined  in  the  con- 
versation. Stubbs  could  not  but  be  impressed  by  the 
confidence  manifested  by  the  officers  that  Verdun 
could  be  kept  from  the  Germans,  and  this  in  the 
face  of  the  reverses  of  the  past  few  days.  The  feel- 
ing was  summarized  in  the  closing  word  of  Gen- 
eral Petain,  as  he  bade  Stubbs  farewell. 

"Au  revoir,  Monsieur  Stubbs,"  he  said,  "until 
you  come  back  when  our  victory  is  complete!" 

By  a  series  of  fierce  counter  assaults,  the  French 
now  had  driven  the  seasoned  veterans  of  the  Ger- 
man Crown  Prince  from  Dead  Man's  Hill;  from 
Hill  No.  265,  to  the  north,  from  Chattancourt  and 
Charny.  Back  across  the  Meuse  the  Germans  fled 


76  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

from  the  vicious  attacks  of  the  French.  Second  and 
third  Hne  trenches  were  re-won. 

But  the  French  did  not  stop  there.  The  third  day 
of  March  found  them  still  pushing  the  Germans 
and  as  darkness  fell  that  night,  the  troops  of  Gen- 
eral Petain  entrenched  themselves  just  to  the  east 
of  Thiaumont  farm  and  Hill  No.  320.  A  trifle  to 
the  south,  Fleury  was  once  more  in  German  hands, 
the  opposition  in  this  sector  having  been  too  much 
for  the  French  to  overcome.  Almost  due  east,  Ger- 
man guns,  wheeled  into  position  at  Fort  Vaux,  cap- 
tured the  preceding  day,  shelled  the  reconquered 
positions  of  the  French;  but  the  latter  stood  firm. 
All  night  the  artillery  duel  raged  and  the  coming  of 
morning  found  both  armies  ready  for  the  day's 
work. 

The  French  opened  the  day  by  concentrating 
heavy  artillery  upon  the  German  positions  at  Fort 
Vaux.  After  a  two  hours'  bombardment,  the  in- 
fantry was  ordered  to  the  attack.  Fresh  troops  took 
the  places  in  the  trenches  vacated  by  the  attacking 
forces  and  heavy  guns  covered  their  advance. 

A  hundred  yards  or  so  from  the  hastily  con- 
structed German  trenches,  the  thin  French  lines 
charged.  Their  ranks  had  been  sadly  depleted  as 
they  marched  across  the  open  ground,  but  they 
stuck  to  the  work  bravely.  Clear  to  the  German 
trenches  they  ran,  a  second  and  still  a  third  line 
close  behind ;  and  then  the  Germans  swarmed  out 


AT  VERDUN  7T 

to  meet  them.  A  fierce  hand-to-hand  encounter 
ensued  with  victory  crowning  German  arms.  What 
was  left  of  the  French  attacking  party  scurried 
back  to  their  own  Hnes. 

The  Germans  did  not  wait  for  a  second  attack. 
German  buglers  sounded  an  advance.  Again  the 
Germans  swarmed  out  of  their  trenches  in  count- 
less thousands  and  rushed  the  French  trenches. 

Hal  and  Chester  at  this  moment  found  them- 
selves at  the  front  with  orders  for  respective  divi- 
sional commanders.  They  remained  as  the  Ger- 
mans charged,  sheltered  by  the  huge  earthen  breast- 
works. 

The  fate  of  the  German  charge  was  the  same  as 
that  of  the  French  a  short  while  before.  Beaten  off 
after  a  half  hour  of  fierce  fighting,  the  Germans 
retired  to  the  shelter  of  their  own  lines.  The  great 
German  guns,  silent  while  the  infantry  was  engaged, 
opened  up  anew  on  the  French  trenches,  dropping 
shells  in  profusion. 

Hal  and  Chester  stood  elbow  to  elbow  watching 
the  destructive  work  of  the  giant  shells.  Of  a  sud- 
den a  shell  dropped  close  to  them.  Hal  uttered  a 
cry  of  alarm  and  made  a  desperate  attempt  to  drag 
Chester  out  of  harm's  way.  In  this  he  was  partly 
successful  and  they  had  dashed  forward  a  few 
yards  before  the  shell  exploded. 

With  the  fury  of  the  blast,  great  clouds  of  earth 
flew  high  in  the  air.    Hal  and  Chester  felt  the  ground 


78  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

open  up  beneath  them  and  they  gasped  for  breath 
as  they  were  precipitated  into  what  seemed  a  bottom- 
less pit.  How  far  they  fell  they  could  not  tell,  but 
it  seemed  a  long  ways;  and  hardly  had  they 
struck  bottom  when  a  shower  of  earth  fell  upon 
them. 

Fortunately  for  them,  they  were  in  a  section  of  the 
trench  that  was  protected  on  either  side  by  artificial 
abuttments  of  hard  dirt  and  stones  thrown  up  by 
the  troops  and  these  caught  heavy  beams  and  rocks 
and  other  debris  that  would  have  showered  down 
upon  them  and  crushed  them  to  death.  A  great  log, 
or  such  it  appeared,  came  down  lengthwise  and 
struck  the  abuttments  on  either  side  of  the  pit  into 
which  the  lads  had  fallen ;  a  second  did  likewise  and 
these  prevented  the  shower  of  rocks  and  pieces  of 
big  guns  from  going  through.  It  was  all  that  saved 
the  lads. 

Then  more  earth  fell  and  covered  these  and  the 
pit  was  effectually  sealed.  Below  there  was  no 
light,  and  when  Hal  and  Chester  regained  their 
feet  neither  could  see  light  above.  They  groped 
for  each  other  in  the  dark  and  at  last  clasped 
hands. 

"Great  Scott!  What's  happened?"  gasped  Ches- 
ter.   "Where  are  we?" 

"We  are  in  a  pit  caused  by  the  explosion  of  that 
shell,"  said  Hal,  quietly.  "The  next  question  is  how 
to  get  out." 


AT  VERDUN  79 

He  put  a  hand  above  his  head,  but  could  touch 
nothing.  He  tried  jumping,  but  with  no  better  suc- 
cess. 

"I  can't  reach  the  top,"  he  said. 

The  lads  felt  around  the  sides  of  the  pit.  The 
walls  were  sheer.  It  was  useless  to  think  of  get- 
ting up  that  way. 

"Well,  we're  up  against  it,"  said  Hal.  *T  don't 
know  how  we  are  to  get  out  of  here.  By  Jove! 
It's  lucky  we  weren't  killed  by  the  shell." 

"We  might  just  as  well  have  been  as  to  die  down 
here,"  said  Chester. 

"Buck  up,  old  man,"  said  Hal.  "We're  not  dead 
yet  and  while  there's  life  there's  hope.  We've  been 
in  some  ticklish  positions  before  and  pulled  through 
all  right." 

"We  were  never  in  a  hole  like  this  before,"  said 
Chester. 

Hal  had  made  his  way  to  one  side  of  the  pit. 

"Here,"  he  called  to  Chester,  "you  climb  up  on  my 
shoulders  and  see  if  you  can  reach  the  top." 

Chester  did  as  Hal  suggested  and  his  efforts  were 
rewarded  by  touching  something  overhead. 

"What  luck?"  asked  Hal. 

"Good,"  said  Chester.  "I  have  touched  some- 
thing.   Feels  like  a  log." 

"Can  you  pull  it  loose?" 

"If  I  do  we're  likely  to  be  crushed  down  here." 

"If   you   don't   we're   likely   to   suffocate   down 


80  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

here,"  returned  Hal.  "I  can  scarcely  get  my  breath 
now.    We'll  have  to  take  a  chance." 

"Then  I'll  have  a  try  at  it,"  said  Chester.  "Be 
ready  to  crouch  close  to  the  side  of  the  pit  when  I 
give  the  word.  I'll  come  down  on  top  of  you  and 
we'll  trust  to  luck  that  the  debris  falls  clear." 

"All  right,"  said  Hal.    "Yell  when  you're  ready." 

Again  Chester  tested  the  covering  with  his  hands. 
At  last  he  struck  a  spot  where  he  could  obtain  a 
grip.  He  decided  to  throw  his  weight  on  it  and  see 
if  it  would  come  down.  He  took  a  firm  hold  and 
then  called : 

"All  right,  Hal !    Stoop  quickly !" 


AT  VISRDTJN  81 


CHAPTER  X 


UNEXPECTED  VISITORS 


Came  a  low,  rumbling  sound  from  overhead  and 
a  shower  of  dirt  poured  down  on  Hal  as  he 
crouched  in  his  corner.  Chester  still  swung  to  and 
fro  from  above.  The  lad  felt  something  give,  and 
believing  that  the  mass  above  was  about  to  fall,  he 
dropped  quickly  alongside  Hal  and  buried  his  face 
in  his  arms. 

But  nothing  happened. 

Directly  Chester  rose  to  his  feet. 

**I  thought  it  was  coming,"  he  said  to  Hal. 
"Guess  I  didn't  hang  on  long  enough.  I'll  have  an- 
other try.    Lend  me  your  shoulders  again." 

Hal  also  stood  up  and  took  his  position.  Chester 
clambered  up  and  again  explored  the  covering  with 
his  fingers.  At  the  first  touch  there  was  another 
shower  of  earth. 

"Won't  take  a  whole  lot  to  move  it,  I  guess,"  he 
said. 

"Hurry,  then,"  enjoined  Hal.  "The  air  is  stifling 
lown  here." 

Chester  himself  felt  that  he  was  suffocating  and 
realized  the  need  for  haste. 


82  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"All  right,"  he  said.  "Here's  hoping  we're  not 
crushed  to  death.     Down  when  I  give  the  word." 

Again  his  fingers  found  a  hold  and  he  braced  him- 
self for  the  shock. 

"Down !"  he  cried  suddenly. 

Hal  dropped. 

A  second  time  came  the  dull  rumbling  from  above 
as  Chester  swayed  to  and  fro  in  his  precarious  po- 
sition. Then  the  lad  felt  the  covering  give.  One 
instant  longer  he  hung  on,  for  he  felt  that  he  would 
have  no  strength  for  a  third  attempt  should  this 
fail. 

And  then,  with  a  roar,  the  mass  of  debris  above 
came  tumbling  down. 

Chester  swung  himself  close  to  the  side  of  the  pit 
even  as  he  felt  the  covering  give  and  came  down 
a  short  distance  from  Hal.  He  covered  his  head 
as  well  as  he  could  and  waited  for  he  knew  not 
what. 

It  was  not  long  coming. 

Something  struck  the  lad  a  sharp  blow  upon  the 
shoulder,  numbing  it.  Behind  him  the  lad  heard 
rocks  and  other  debris  crashing  to  the  bottom. 
Holding  his  breath,  he  waited  for  the  blow  he  felt 
sure  must  come  from  above  and  unconsciously  his 
right  hand  stretched  out  toward  where  he  knew 
Hal  to  be. 

But  nothing  struck  him.  After  five  seconds  of 
the  terrible   roaring,   there   was   silence.      Chester 


AT  VERDUN  83 

looked  up.  There  was  light  above.  Chester  uttered 
a  short  prayer  of  thankfulness  and  rose  to  his  feet. 

"All  right,  Hal,"  he  said,  still  looking  above,  while 
he  rubbed  his  injured  shoulder. 

There  was  no  reply. 

Chester  looked  quickly  about  him.  There  was 
no  sign  of  Hal. 

"Great  Scott !  What  can  have  happened  to  him  ?" 
he  asked  himself  anxiously. 

Quickly  he  fell  to  hands  and  knees  and  explored 
the  bottom  of  the  pit.  There,  where  he  knew  Hal 
should  be,  he  felt  a  mound  of  earth. 

"Great  Scott!    He's  buried!"  cried  Chester. 

Frantically  he  set  to  work  with  his  bare  hands  to 
uncover  Hal. 

In  a  few  moments  his  efforts  were  rewarded.  He 
exposed  Hal's  arm.  From  the  position  the  arm 
was  in  Chester  was  able  to  locate  his  chum's  head. 
This  he  uncovered  quickly,  for  he  feared  that  his 
friend  might  suffocate.  Then  he  bent  over  Hal 
and  listened. 

Hal  was  breathing  faintly. 

Chester  uttered  a  cry  of  relief  and  proceeded  to 
uncover  the  rest  of  his  friend's  body.  This  done, 
he  set  about  reviving  Hal,  who  was  unconscious. 

Chester  rubbed  Hal's  hands  vigorously,  and  was 
at  last  rewarded  by  hearing  Hal  sigh.  A  mom«it 
later  Hal  spoke. 

"What's  happened?"  he  asked. 


84  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Well,  it  looks  like  the  world  caved  in  on  you," 
returned  Chester.  "Fortunately,  appearances  are 
deceitful.  I  yanked  the  log  loose  from  above  and 
you  were  buried  in  the  dirt.  Fortunately,  I  got  you 
out  in  time.     How  do  you  feel?" 

"I  don't  feel  very  chipper,"  was  the  faint  reply; 
"but  I  guess  I'm  all  right." 

"Can  you  get  up?" 

"Don't  know;  I'll  try." 

He  made  the  effort,  and  with  Chester's  assistance, 
soon  stood  leaning  against  one  side  of  the  pit.  He 
looked  up. 

"Quite  a  ways  up  there,"  he  said,  "How  are  we 
going  to  make  it  ?" 

"Think  you  can  climb  up  on  my  shoulders,  pull 
yourself  out  and  then  lend  me  a  hand?" 

"I  don't  believe  so.  Guess  I  can  brace  myself 
while  you  climb  up,  though," 

"Good,  we'll  try  it." 

Once  more  Chester  climbed  to  Hal's  shoulder 
while  the  latter  braced  himself  against  one  wall  of 
the  pit.  He  took  a  firm  hold  on  the  edge  above  and 
drew  himself  up  with  little  difficulty.  He  was  about 
to  reach  down  and  lend  Hal  a  hand  when  he  hap- 
pened to  look  toward  the  east, 

"Good  night!"  he  exclaimed  and  disappeared 
into  the  pit  in  a  hurry, 

"What's  the  matter?"  demanded  Hal,  who  had 
not  overheard  his  friend's  ejaculation. 


AT  VERDUN  85 

"Matter !"  echoed  Chester.  "There  are  about  ten 
millions  coming  this  way  on  the  dead  run.  The 
French  have  retreated !" 

"Hm-m-m,"  said  Hal;  "and  what  are  we  going 
to  do?" 

"Bide  here  for  a  spell,  I  expect,"  was  Chester's 
answer. 

"Guess  you're  right.  They  may  not  notice  us 
down  here.  We'll  play  we're  a  couple  of  mice  and 
see  how  still  we  can  keep." 

"Good!    Listen!    I  hear 'em  coming!" 

Above  them,  to  one  side,  they  could  hear  the 
trampling  of  many  feet  as  the  Germans  passed  the 
pit. 

"Guess  we're  safe  enough  so  long  as  we  stay 
down  here,"  said  Chester. 

"But  we're  going  to  have  trouble  reaching  the 
French  lines  if  the  Germans  are  permitted  to  camp 
out  hereabouts,"  declared  Hal. 

"Well,  maybe  the  French  will  chase  them  back 
again,"  said  Chester,  hopefully. 

"Maybe,"  Hal  repeated,  "and  then  maybe  not. 
Now,  if  we — hello !" 

He  broke  off  suddenly.  From  above  there  had 
come  muttered  exclamations  of  alarm,  two  bodies 
came  hurtling  through  space  and  struck  the  bottom 
of  the  pit  with  loud  thumps. 

"Grab  'em,  Hal!"  shouted  Chester,  and  leaped 
across  the  pit. 


86  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Hal  followed  suit,  for  the  two  bodies  that  had 
tumbled  through  space  were  nothing  less  than  Ger- 
man soldiers  who  had  failed  to  see  the  opening 
above. 

They  were  taken  by  surprise  when  two  forms 
leaped  on  them  below,  but  they  put  up  a  fight. 

"Tap  'em  over  the  head  with  your  gun !"  shouted 
Chester. 

He  had  drawn  his  revolver  as  he  leaped  forward 
and  now  suited  the  action  to  the  word.  The  Ger- 
man toppled  over  with  a  groan. 

Hal,  however,  had  not  drawn  his  weapon,  and 
was  now  locked  in  the  arms  of  the  second  German, 
as  they  rolled  over  and  over  in  the  bottom  of  the  pit. 
Weakened  by  his  recent  experience  he  was  getting 
the  worst  of  it. 

Chester  took  in  the  situation  at  a  glance  and  leaped 
forward.  At  the  moment  Hal  was  on  top  and  the 
German  stared  up  at  Chester.  Seeing  a  second  foe 
he  raised  a  loud  cry  for  help. 

This  was  what  Chester  had  been  afraid  of.  He 
didn't  want  any  more  Germans  down  there  if  he 
could  help  it. 

"Turn  him  over,  Hal !"  he  cried,  "Let  me  get  a 
whack  at  him  with  my  gun." 

By  a  desperate  effort  Hal  obeyed  and  the  Ger- 
man rolled  on  top  of  him.  One  more  loud  cry  he 
gave  and  then  Chester  silenced  him  with  a  sharp 
blow  of  his  revolver  butt. 


AT  VERDUN  87 

Chester  stepped  back  with  an  exclamation  of  re- 
lief and  Hal  dragged  himself  from  beneath  his  now 
imconscious  adversary. 

"A  tough  customer,  that  fellow,"  he  remarked. 

"You'd  have  done  for  him  if  you  hadn't  been  so 
weak,"  Chester  replied,  "I  didn't  think  we  might 
have  callers  down  here," 

"Neither  did  I,"  returned  Hal,  "but  I'm  glad  they 
came." 

"Why?"  demanded  Chester  in  surprise. 

"We  can  borrow  their  uniforms  if  it's  necessary," 
Hal  explained. 

"By  Jove!  I  hadn't  thought  of  that,"  exclaimed 
Chester.     "A  good  plan." 

"Of  course  it  may  not  be  necessary,"  said  Hal. 
"If  the  Germans  should  be  driven  back  it  would  be 
unnecessary.    We'll  wait  until  after  dark  and  see." 

"In  the  meantime  we  had  better  tie  these  fellows 
up,"  said  Chester.  "One  of  them  is  coming  to  now. 
He  may  not  know  when  he's  properly  licked  and 
want  to  continue  the  fight," 

"Better  gag  'em,  too,"  said  Hal.  "I  noticed  that 
one  fellow  had  pretty  good  lungs." 

The  lads  removed  their  belts  and  with  these 
bound  the  hands  of  their  captives.  They  had  noth- 
ing to  tie  their  legs,  but  they  didn't  feel  there  was 
much  danger  of  the  men  crawling  out  of  the  pit 
with  their  arms  bound.  They  gagged  them  with 
their  handkerchiefs. 


88  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

A  few  moments  later  one  of  the  Germans  stag- 
gered to  his  feet  and  gazed  at  the  two  lads  in  aston- 
ishment. The  second  also  soon  regained  conscious- 
ness and  apparently  was  no  less  surprised.  Both  lads 
kept  their  revolvers  handy,  for  they  weren't  sure 
whether  the  Germans  might  not  attack  them,  bound 
and  gagged  as  they  were. 

Hal  addressed  them. 

"We  expect  to  keep  you  company  for  some  time," 
he  said,  "and  we  don't  want  any  foolishness.  The 
first  false  move  will  be  your  last.  Get  over  there  in 
the  comer." 

The  men  obeyed,  growling  to  themselves. 

Hal  and  Chester  listened  for  sounds  above  that 
would  indicate  the  retreat  of  the  Germans  and  the 
advance  of  the  French.  No  such  sounds  came;  and 
with  the  fall  of  darkness  Hal  said : 

"Well,  I  guess  we  had  better  change  clothes  with 
these  fellows  and  make  a  break  for  it." 

"Good!"  agreed  Chester.  "We'll  have  to  un- 
bind them  while  they  disrobe.  We'll  strip  one  at  a 
time.    You  hold  the  gun  while  I  do  the  work." 

"Well,  I  guess  everything  is  all  ready,"  said 
Chester,  when  they  were  at  last  garbed  in  the  Ger- 
man uniforms  and  the  men  were  safely  tied  up 
again.    "We  may  as  well  be  moving." 

"All  right,"  said  Hal,  "climb  up  on  my  shoulders. 
I'll  keep  my  gun  on  these  two  fellows  in  the  mean- 
time.   Can't  trust  'em." 


AT  VERDUN  89 

Chester  followed  Hal's  instructions  and  a  moment 
later  gazed  out  of  the  pit.  Ahead  he  could  see  mov- 
ing forms,  but  there  was  no  one  close  to  the  pit. 

"Coast  clear,"  he  called  to  Hal.  "Here  I  go.  Be 
ready  when  I  reach  down  for  you." 

He  pulled  himself  up. 


90  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XI 


THROUGH    THE   LINES 


"Ready,  Hal?" 

*'A11  ready." 

Hal  stretched  up  his  hands,  and  Chester,  leaning 
far  over  the  pit,  seized  them  and  pulled.  Hal  came 
slowly  upwards. 

Suddenly  he  gave  a  cry  of  pain  and  twisted  and 
squirmed  vigorously.     Chester  became  alarmed. 

"What's  the  matter?"  he  asked  quickly. 

"One  of  those  fellows  bit  me  in  the  leg!"  ex- 
claimed Hal. 

It  was  true. 

As  Hal  had  soared  upward,  one  of  the  Germans 
had  sprung  forward,  and  being  unable  to  free  his 
hands,  had  seized  the  fleshy  part  of  Hal's  leg  be- 
tween his  teeth.  Evidently  the  gag  had  not  been 
properly  adjusted. 

"Kick  him  loose!"  cried  Chester. 

Hal  obeyed  instructions.  The  German  uttered  a 
loud  cry — another  sign  that  the  lads  had  gagged  him 
too  carelessly. 

In  kicking  out  at  the  German,  Hal  had  used  too 


AT  VERDUN  91 

much  violence  and  had  jerked  loose  from  Chester's 
hold.  Down  into  the  pit  he  plunged  again.  Appar- 
ently believing  that  Hal  had  come  back  with  the  in- 
tention of  silencing  him  forever,  the  ungagged  Ger- 
man gave  vent  to  a  series  of  loud  cries. 

"Quick,  Chester!"  called  Hal.  "Pull  me  out  of 
here  before  this  fellow  brings  down  the  whole  Ger- 
man army." 

Chester  leaned  over  and  again  seized  Hal  by  the 
hands  and  pulled.  Once  more  the  German  below 
sprang  forward  and  attempted  to  sink  his  teeth 
in  Hal's  leg.  Hal,  realizing  what  the  man  was 
about,  kicked  out  suddenly  before  the  German  could 
obtain  his  hold,  and  the  lad's  heavy  shoe  caught  the 
man  squarely  in  the  mouth.  One  more  cry  the  Ger- 
man gave  and  then  toppled  over. 

"Quick  Chester !"  cried  Hal,  again. 

With  an  effort  Chester  dragged  Hal  from  the 
pit. 

Hal  stood  up  and  both  lads  dusted  the  dirt  from 
their  clothes. 

"Now  the  sooner  we  get  away  from  this  spot  the 
better,"  said  Chester. 

They  advanced  directly  west  toward  the  extreme 
German  front. 

"We'll  have  to  depend  on  boldness  to  take  us 
through,"  said  Hal.  "It  is  unlikely  that  we  shall 
be  questioned  until  we  reach  the  outposts  and  then 
we'll  have  to  make  a  break  for  it." 


92  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Suits  me,"  said  Chester. 

They  walked  along  leisurely,  passing  countless 
German  soldiers  standing  about;  but  little  attention 
was  paid  to  them.  Occasionally  a  man  nodded  to 
them  and  the  lads  returned  the  salutation. 

Gradually  they  drew  away  from  the  main  body 
of  troops  and  neared  the  outposts.  Here  German 
troopers  were  engaged  in  throwing  up  breastworks 
against  a  possible  attack  by  the  French  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

"Guess  we  won't  have  far  to  go  if  we  can  get 
beyond  the  outposts,"  muttered  Hal.  "These  prepa- 
rations indicate  the  Germans  have  just  won  this 
ground.    The  French  can't  be  far  away." 

Chester  nodded  in  token  of  assent;  and  at  that 
moment  they  came  up  to  the  workers.  Casually  they 
stood  and  watched  the  German  soldiers  digging  for 
a  few  moments;  then  wandered  in  among  them, 
keeping  close  together. 

"When  I  give  the  word !"  whispered  Hal. 

Chester  nodded. 

"Now !" 

Hal  gave  the  word  suddenly. 

Immediately  the  two  lads  took  to  their  heels. 

For  a  moment  the  Germans  were  stunned  by  the 
very  audacity  of  the  two  lads.  Then  entrenching 
tools  dropped  to  the  ground  and  the  men  seized  their 
rifles  and  fired  a  volley  after  the  two  boys.  But  in 
the  time  it  had  taken  them  to  lay  aside  their  tools 


AT  VERDUN  9$ 

and  pick  up  their  weapons  the  lads  had  disappeared 
in  the  darkness  and  now  hurled  themselves  to  the 
ground,  anticipating  such  a  volley. 

In  the  darkness  the  Germans  could  hope  to  hit 
them  only  by  accident. 

Springing  to  their  feet  again,  the  lads  ran  for- 
ward, bearing  off  slightly  to  the  north,  and  soon 
felt  they  were  safe. 

They  slowed  down  and  approached  the  French 
lines  cautiously.  Presently  they  beheld  the  first 
French  entrenchment.  As  they  drew  close  a  French 
soldier  poked  up  his  head  and  levelled  a  rifle  at 
them. 

"Halt !"  he  cried.    "Who  goes  there?" 

"Friends !"  returned  Hal. 

"Advance  friends,"  came  the  soldier's  next  words^ 
while  he  still  held  his  rifle  ready. 

Hal  and  Chester  advanced  to  the  very  edge  of 
the  trench.  There  the  soldier  took  a  good  look  at 
their  faces  and  noticed  the  German  uniforms.  Up 
went  his  rifle  again  and  he  would  have  pulled  the 
trigger  with  the  gun  aimed  squarely  at  Hal  had  not 
Chester  leaped  quickly  forward  and  struck  up  the 
weapon. 

The  two  clinched. 

"You  fool!"  cried  Chester.  "We  are  not  Ger- 
mans !" 

Other  soldiers  now  came  running  up.  They  gath- 
ered about  the  two  figures  in  German  uniforms. 


94  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

An  officer  approached.  Fortunately,  he  recognized 
the  two  boys  and  waved  the  men  away. 

"These  men  are  all  right,"  he  said. 

The  soldiers  drew  off,  satisfied,  all  but  the  man 
who  would  have  fired  point  blank  at  Hal.  He  stood 
there  and  eyed  the  lad  sullenly.  Then,  for  the  first 
time,  Hal  obtained  a  good  look  at  him.  The  lad 
recognized  him  instantly.  He  was  the  same  man 
who  had  directed  the  hazing  of  young  Jules  Clemen- 
cau  a  short  time  before. 

As  the  Frenchman  leered  at  him  evilly,  Hal 
walked  close  to  him. 

"It's  my  belief  you  knew  me  all  the  time,"  he  de- 
clared quietly. 

"What  of  it?"  the  Frenchman  demanded. 

"Why,"  said  Hal,  "only  that  if  I  were  sure,  I'd 
pull  your  nose  for  you." 

"Ha!"  exclaimed  the  Frenchman.  "I'd  like  to 
see  you  try  it.  You  caught  me  off  my  guard  the 
other  night.    You  can't  do  it  again." 

"I  don't  particularly  care  to  do  it,"  returned  Hal, 
quietl}'-,  "because  you're  not  worth  it:  but  if  I  start 
I'll  probably  go  through  with  it." 

Again  the  Frenchman  sneered  at  him. 

Further  conversation  was  prevented  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  French  lieutenant  who  had  observed 
the  trouble. 

"Matin !"  he  ordered.  "Back  to  your  post  at  once, 
sir." 


AT  VERDUN  95 

The  latter  saluted  respectfully  enough,  but  he  gave 
Hal  another  evil  look  as  he  walked  away. 

"He's  no  friend  of  yours,  that's  sure,"  said  the 
young  French  officer  to  Hal,  with  a  smile. 

"I  am  glad  to  say  he's  not,"  replied  Hal,  quietly. 
"I  don't  believe  I'd  care  for  a  friend  like  that." 

"I  don't  blame  you,"  was  the  young  officer's  re- 
sponse. "Matin  has  a  bad  reputation  and  I  would 
advise  you  to  keep  your  eye  on  him." 

"Thanks,"  said  Hal.  "I  shall  remember  that. 
By  the  way,  can  you  tell  me  just  where  we  are?" 

"Thiaumont  farm,"  returned  the  French  officer; 
"or,  rather,  I  should  say,  just  east  of  Thiaumont 
farm.  You  two  fellows  look  somewhat  done  up.  If 
you  will  go  to  the  farm  you  will  find  a  place  to  sleep 
in  the  farmhouse.  By  some  trick  of  fate  the  house 
and  barn  still  stand,  although  everything  else  in  this 
vicinity  has  been  knocked  to  pieces  by  the  big  guns." 

"Thanks,"  said  Flal,  again.  "We  shall  take  your 
advice.  We  are  pretty  tired  and  a  sleep  will  help 
out.  It's  too  far  back  to  our  own  quarters  when 
there  is  a  place  to  bunk  so  handy." 

The  two  lads  left  the  young  officer  and  made 
their  way  to  the  farmhouse.  Here  they  found  a 
number  of  French  officers  already  installed,  but  the 
latter  gladly  made  room  for  them, 

"No  beds,"  said  one  with  a  laugh,  "but  there  is 
plenty  of  room  on  the  floor." 

"I  guess  a  bed  would  be  too  much  to  expect,"  said 


96  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Chester,  also  laughing.  "Besides,  it's  been  so  long 
since  I  slept  in  one  I  don't  believe  I  could  rest." 

"The  floor  is  plenty  good  enough  for  me,"  Hal 
agreed. 

"Help  yourselves  then.  You  can  pick  out  your 
own  room," 

"Guess  we'll  go  upstairs  then,"  said  Hal.  "It'll 
probably  be  more  quiet  up  there.  These  fellows 
down  here  are  having  too  much  fun  to  care  about 
sleep,"  and  he  waved  his  arm  toward  one  corner 
of  the  room,  where  a  group  of  young  French  offi- 
cers were  engaged  in  a  game  of  cards. 

The  two  boys  made  their  way  upstairs  and  found 
a  room  to  their  liking  in  the  rear  of  the  house.  Here 
they  stretched  themselves  out  on  the  floor  and  were 
asleep  immediately.  There  were  no  other  occu- 
pants of  the  room. 

Outside  the  moon  was  shining,  and  it  cast  a  beam 
of  light  into  the  room  where  the  two  chums  lay 
asleep.  Several  hours  after  the  boys  had  closed 
their  eyes  in  sleep,  the  figure  of  a  man  appeared  in 
the  window  without.  After  some  experimenting  he 
opened  the  window  softly  and  came  in.  He  closed 
the  window  gently  behind  him. 

Chester  stirred  in  his  sleep  and  the  man  shrank 
back  against  the  wall  in  the  darkness.  For  perhaps 
five  minutes  he  remained  there,  and  then,  as  there 
was  no  further  move  by  the  sleeper,  he  advanced 
into  the  center  of  the  room.    The  light  fell  upon  his 


AT  VERDUN  97 

face,  and  had  the  boys  been  awake,  they  would  have 
recognized  in  the  intruder,  Matin,  the  man  who  had 
attempted  to  shoot  Hal  a  short  time  before. 

Matin  approached  the  two  sleepers  quietly,  seek- 
ing to  make  sure  which  was  Hal.  He  examined  each 
closely  and  then  grinned  as  he  stepped  back  a  pace 
or  two,  apparently  satisfied. 

From  the  next  room  there  came  the  sound  of 
footsteps  and  again  Matin  shrank  back  against  the 
wall.  Directly  the  footsteps  moved  away  and  Matin 
drew  a  breath  of  relief. 

From  his  pocket  now  he  produced  a  knife,  ex- 
amined it  carefully  and  grinned  again.  Looking 
carefully  about  to  make  sure  that  there  was  no 
one  in  the  room  to  observe  him,  he  stepped  forward. 

Had  he  turned  his  head  at  that  moment  he  would 
have  seen  a  second  figure  lowering  itself  just  inside 
the  room.  But  so  intent  was  Matin  upon  the  dark 
deed  ahead  of  him  that,  after  his  one  observation 
of  the  room,  he  did  not  look  again. 

The  second  figure  was  creeping  after  Matin  now. 
He  was  not  far  behind,  but  still  he  was  not  close 
enough  to  touch  the  first  intruder.  Alatin  took  two 
quick  steps  forward  and  raised  his  arm.  Then  he 
bent  on  one  knee. 

The  arm  flashed  down ! 


98  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE   BATTLE   OF  THIAUMONT   FARM 

But  the  knife  never  reached  its  mark. 

There  came  a  sudden  loud  report,  a  flash  of  flame 
and  the  knife  clattered  to  the  floor.  Matin  reeled 
and  fell  backward,  and  as  he  did  so  the  second  in- 
truder pounced  upon  him  and  pinned  him  down. 

Hal  arose  to  his  feet  slowly.  In  his  hand  he  held 
a  smoking  revolver.  Chester,  awakened  by  the  shot, 
leaped  quickly  to  his  feet  and  his  revolver  flashed  in 
his  hand. 

"What's  happened  ?"  he  exclaimed. 

"My  friend  Matin  here  tried  to  do  for  me,"  said 
Hal,  pointing.    "I  shot  him." 

Chester  rushed  to  the  side  of  the  two  figures 
across  the  room.  Then,  for  the  first  time,  the  iden- 
tity of  the  second  figure  was  established.  It  was 
Jules  Clemenceau. 

Hal  also  approached  and  bent  over.  He  took 
Jules  by  the  arm. 

"What  are  you  doing  here?"  he  demanded. 

"I  followed  Matin,"  replied  Jules,  rising  to  his 


AT  VERDUN  99 

feet.  "I  saw  you  when  you  entered  the  trench  from 
the  German  lines.  After  you  had  gone  I  heard 
Matin  threaten  to  kill  you.  We  were  relieved  at 
the  same  time,  and  suspecting  that  he  might  be  up 
to  some  mischief,  I  followed  him.  I  was  too  far 
behind  to  do  any  good.  I  was  so  frightened  that 
I  could  not  cry  out." 

"How  did  you  happen  to  see  him,  Hal?"  asked 
Chester. 

"I  don't  know,"  was  Hal's  reply.  "I  was  awak- 
ened just  as  Jules  here  came  through  the  window. 
I  was  about  to  call  out  when  I  saw  Matin  coming 
toward  me  with  drawn  knife.  I  drew  my  revolver 
quietly  and  waited.  I  wanted  him  to  get  close 
enough  so  I  would  not  miss.  My  arm  was  doubled 
under  me  and  I  wasn't  certain  at  that  distance." 

"Is  he  dead  ?"  asked  Chester  as  Hal  bent  over  the 
body. 

"No,"  said  Hal.  "I  didn't  shoot  to  kill  him.  I 
shot  him  through  the  shoulder." 

"Then  "he  should  regain  consciousness  pretty 
quick,"  declared  Chester. 

"Oh,  he's  conscious  right  now,"  said  Hal.  "He's 
just  shamming  a  bit.     Isn't  that  so,  Matin?' 

Matin  sat  up. 

"What  of  it?"  he  demanded. 

"Nothing,"  returned  Hal,  "except  that  the  next 
time  you  come  near  me,  except  in  the  performance 
of  duty,  you  will  not  get  off  so  lightly." 


100  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Are  you  going  to  let  him  go?"  asked  Jules,  in 
surprise. 

"What  did  you  expect  me  to  do  with  him?"  de- 
manded Hal. 

"Shoot  him  again." 

Hal  was  forced  to  smile  at  the  grimness  of  the 
boy's  tones. 

"No,"  he  said  quietly,  "I  have  done  him  injury 
enough  for  one  time.    Let  him  go." 

"But  he  will  try  to  kill  you  again!" 

"If  he  does,  he  will  wish  he  hadn't,"  was  Hal's 
reply. 

He  turned  and  prodded  Matin  with  the  toe  of  his 
boot.  "Get  up  and  get  out  of  here,"  he  said 
sharply. 

Cringingly,  Matin  obeyed.  He  slunk  out  of  the 
room  without  a  word. 

"Now  I  can  breath  easier,"  declared  Hal.  "His 
presence  contaminated  the  air." 

"I  am  afraid  you  let  him  off  too  easily,  Hal," 
said  Chester.  "You  at  least  should  report  him 
and  have  him  put  in  a  safe  place." 

"I  guess  I  am  big  enough  to  fight  my  own  bat- 
tles, Chester,"  said  Hal.  "The  French  officers  have 
enough  to  do  without  worrying  about  men  like 
Matin.  Besides,  I  don't  really  believe  he  will  bother 
me  again." 

And  so  the  subject  was  dismissed.  Jules  took  his 
departure  and  Hal  and  Chester  again  lay  down  to 


AT  VERDUN  101 

sleep.  Chester  was  just  about  to  doze  when  a  sud- 
den thought  struck  him. 

"I  say,  Hal,"  he  called. 

"What's  the  trouble  now?" 

"Do  you  suppose  it  could  have  been  Matin  who 
shot  at  you  that  night  in  our  quarters  ?" 

"I  don't  know.  I  hardly  think  so,  though.  I  be- 
lieve that  gentleman  called  to  pay  his  respects  to 
Stubbs." 

"But " 

"Come,  Chester,"  said  Hal,  "it's  getting  late  and 
I  am  going  to  get  six  good  hours'  sleep." 

But  Hal  was  mistaken.  There  was  to  be  yet  an- 
other interruption  to  the  slumber  of  the  two  lads. 
It  came  suddenly  and  unexpectedly. 

It  was  still  an  hour  before  dawn  when  the  Ger- 
man artillery  broke  forth  afresh,  thousands  of  guns 
hurling  death  upon  the  sleeping  French  lines.  The 
men  were  awake  in  an  instant  and  rushed  to  their 
positions.  Out  of  the  first  confusion  order  came 
promptly  as  officers  issued  sharp  commands.  Offi- 
cers and  men  had  the  same  thought.  The  heavy 
bombardment  presaged  a  new  German  assault. 

Hal  and  Chester  had  sprung  from  the  floor  at 
the  sound  of  the  first  salvo.  Rushing  from  the 
farmhouse,  they  watched  the  troops  form  and  move 
forward.  The  defenders  of  the  first  line  trenches 
already  were  engaged  by  the  German  infantry  when 
Hal  and  Chester  reached  the  open,  and  reinforce- 


102  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

merits  were  being  rushed  forward  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible. 

Unassigned  for  the  moment,  Hal  and  Chester 
were  undecided  as  to  what  to  do.  Chester  settled 
the  matter. 

"We'll  stay  here,"  he  decided.  "There  is  no  need 
of  our  going  forward.  We  will  only  be  in  the  way 
now.  If  we  are  needed,  of  course,  it  will  be  differ- 
ent." 

Hal  agreed  with  his  chum  and  the  two  remained 
where  they  were. 

The  terrible  thunder  of  the  great  guns  ceased  now 
and  there  broke  out  the  crash  of  rifle  fire.  This  told 
Hal  and  Chester  that  the  German  infantry  was 
charging  the  trenches. 

And  this  was  indeed  the  case.  In  great  waves  of 
humanity  the  German  assault  poured  on.  Into  the 
trenches  the  men  threw  themselves,  dying  by  the 
hundreds ;  but  there  were  always  more  to  take  their 
places.  While  the  attack  had  not  been  exactly  a 
surprise,  the  French  nevertheless  had  been  caught 
oft  their  guard  and  the  first  advantage  was  with  the 
Germans. 

As  wave  after  wave  of  humanity  poured  into  the 
trenches,  the  French  broke  and  fled.  Toward  Hal 
and  Chester  they  came,  making  for  the  protection 
of  the  next  line  of  entrenchments  just  beyond 
Thiaumont  farm.  Hal  and  Chester  stepped  within 
the  farmhouse  to  watch  the  flight. 


AT  VERDUN  103 

**We  can't  remain  here  long,"  Chester  shouted 
to  make  himself  heard  above  the  din  and  crash  of 
musketry. 

Hal  nodded  his  understanding  and  turned  again 
to  the  window. 

At  that  moment  a  body  of  French  infantry,  per- 
haps 200  strong,  dashed  directly  for  the  farmhouse, 
Through  the  doors  they  poured  and  rushed  to  the 
windows  and  manned  them. 

Some  rushed  upstairs,  under  the  direction  of  the 
single  officer  with  them  and  others  descended  into 
the  basement. 

"By  Jove!  They  are  going  to  make  a  stand 
here!"  cried  Chester. 

"Right !"  Hal  agreed.  "Here  is  a  chance  for  us 
to  do  some  good.  We'll  offer  our  services  to  this 
officer." 

The  lads  had  discarded  their  German  uniforms 
soon  after  their  return  to  the  French  lines  and  were 
again  attired  in  regulation  French  costume,  with 
which  they  had  been  provided.  They  now  ap- 
proached the  French  officer  who  was  busy  direct- 
ing the  disposition  of  his  men. 

"We  would  be  glad,  sir,"  said  Hal,  "if  you  would 
put  us  to  work." 

The  officer  glanced  at  them  keenly. 

"Officers,  I  perceive,"  he  said.  "Your  names, 
please  ?" 

The  boys  gave  them. 


104  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Good,"  said  the  Frenchman.  "Lieutenant  Paine, 
you  shall  take  charge  of  the  second  floor.  Lieuten- 
ant Crawford,  you  will  command  in  the  basement. 
I  have  orders  to  hold  this  position,  come  what  may." 

"Very  good,  sir." 

The  two  boys  saluted. 

"To  your  posts,  then!" 

Hal  dashed  upstairs  and  Chester  descended 
quickly  below. 

Hal  gazed  quickly  about  the  front  room  upstairs 
as  he  entered  it.  There  were  three  windows.  It 
was  the  only  room  facing  east.  There  were  two 
other  rooms  on  the  floor,  and  Hal  quickly  posted 
men  at  the  windows  of  each. 

In  the  basement  Chester  found  that  the  only  two 
windows  fronted  east.  He  had  not  much  to  guard. 
He  gazed  upon  the  men  under  his  command  and 
quickly  selected  five. 

"The  rest  of  you  go  upstairs,"  he  commanded. 
"Six  of  us  will  be  enough  here.  The  hard  fighting 
will  be  done  above,  if  it  is  done  at  all." 

The  five  men  selected  nodded  their  approval  of 
the  boys'  understanding  of  the  situation.  They 
could  see  he  was  young  in  years,  but  from  the  way 
in  which  he  issued  orders  they  realized  that  he  was 
old  in  experience. 

A  moment  later  the  French  officer  in  command 
came  downstairs.     He  approached  Chester. 

"In  the  excitement,"  he  said,  "I  forgot  to  tell  you 


AT  VERDUN  105 

my  name,    I  am  Captain  Leroux.    I  came  down  to 
see  if  you  are  all  ready." 

"All  ready,  sir,"  said  Chester,  saluting. 

"Good !"    The  officer  took  his  departure. 

On  the  first  floor  he  attended  to  several  import- 
ant details  in  the  matter  of  placing  his  men  to  best 
advantage  and  then  ascended  to  where  Hal  was  in 
command.  He  gave  his  name  to  the  latter  and 
commended  the  manner  in  which  Hal  had  stationed 
his  men. 

"Very  good,  Lieutenant  Paine,"  he  said.  "I  see 
that  I  may  depend  upon  you." 

"And  upon  my  friend  below,  sir,"  replied  Hal; 
"and  upon  the  men  with  me  here." 

The  soldiers  gave  a  cheer  at  these  words  and  Hal 
knew  that  they  would  fight  to  the  last. 

Captain  Leroux  peered  from  the  window. 

"Not  in  sight  yet,"  he  muttered.  He  turned  again 
to  Hal.    "Two  hours.  Lieutenant,"  he  said. 

"We'll  hold  'em,  sir,"  was  Hal's  quiet  response. 
"We'll  hold  them  if  it  can  be  done." 

"My  instructions,"  returned  the  captain,  "are  that 
they  must  be  held." 

"Very  well,  sir.    Then  they  shall  be  held." 

Hal  saluted  and  turned  to  the  window. 

And  now  there  hove  into  sight  in  the  early  morn- 
ing light  countless  numbers  of  German  infantry- 
men at  a  charge.  They  had  discovered  the  fact  that 
the  French  held  the  farmhouse,  and  although  their 


106  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

officers  had  no  means  of  ascertaining  the  French 
strength  at  that  point,  they  realized  that  it  must  be 
won  before  there  could  be  a  general  advance.  So 
they  ordered  the  charge. 

"Here  they  come,  sir,"  said  Hal,  quietly. 

Captain  Leroux  dashed  down  the  stairs  without 
making  reply. 

"Let  them  come  close,  men,"  ordered  Hal,  "and 
when  I  give  the  word  let  them  have  it  for  all  you're 
worth.     Make  every  shot  count." 

His  words  were  greeted  with  a  cheer.  Each  man 
was  in  position.  Each  man's  finger  was  on  the  trig- 
ger. A  moment  of  silence  and  then  Hal  ordered: 
"Fire!" 


AT  VERDUN  m 


CHAPTER  XIII 


THE   FIGHT 


The  front  of  the  farmhouse  broke  into  a  sheet 
of  flame. 

At  almost  the  same  moment,  Captain  Leroux  on 
the  floor  below,  and  Chester  in  the  basement,  gave 
the  command  to  fire  and  the  first  line  of  approach- 
ing Germans  seemed  to  crumple  up. 

But  the  men  behind  came  on. 

Again  and  again  effective  volleys  were  fired  from 
the  farmhouse;  but  despite  their  heavy  losses  and 
urged  on  by  commands  of  their  ofiicers,  the  Ger- 
mans pressed  forw-ard  until  they  were  at  the  very 
side  of  the  house.  -. 

As  the}''  approached  they  fired  volley  after  volley 
at  the  windows  behind  which  the  defenders  stood 
calmly ;  and  the  French  had  not  gone  unscathed. 

In  the  basement,  where  Chester  was  in  command, 
no  German  bullet  had  gone  so  far,  but  Hal  had  lost 
three  men  and  Captain  Leroux  five.  As  quickly  as 
these  fell  others  took  their  places  at  the  windows 
and  continued  to  fire  steadily  into  the  German 
ranks. 


108  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Came  &  heavy  battering  at  the  front  door.  A 
force  of  Germans  had  reached  this  point  in  spite  of 
the  fire  of  the  French  and  now  were  attempting 
to  batter  it  down.  Without  exposing  themselves 
too  recklessly  the  French  could  not  reach  this  party 
of  Germans  with  rifle  fire. 

Captain  Leroux  quickly  told  off  ten  men  to  guard 
the  entrance  the  moment  the  door  should  give  be- 
neath the  kicks  and  blows  of  the  enemy.  r 

"Ten  men  should  be  as  good  as  a  hundred  there," 
he  explained.  "Pick  them  off  as  they  rush  through. 
Aim  carefully  and  make  every  shot  count." 

He  turned  back  to  the  work  of  directing  the  fire 
from  the  windows. 

The  battering  at  the  door  continued.  One  of  the 
defenders,  thinking  to  dispose  of  a  member  of  the 
enemy  in  such  close  proximity,  stuck  his  head  out 
and  brought  his  rifle  to  bear  upon  the  foe  in  the 
doorway;  but  before  he  could  accomplish  his  ob- 
ject he  fell  back  inside  with  a  groan.  A  German 
bullet  had  done  its  work. 

"No  more  of  that!"  ordered  Captain  Leroux, 
sharply.  "I  need  every  man  I  have.  No  need  to 
expose  yourselves  uselessly." 

After  that  no  French  head  appeared  above  the 
window  sill  farther  than  was  necessary  to  aim  and 
fire. 

In  the  basement  Chester  and  his  men  had  had  lit- 
tle to  do  so  far.    True,  they  had  been  able  to  pick 


AT  VERDUN  109 

off  a  German  or  two,  but  their  position  was  such 
that  they  could  be  of  little  value  at  the  moment. 
Their  time  was  to  come  later. 

On  the  top  floor  Hal,  because  of  his  position, 
was  better  able  to  command  a  view  of  the  open  field 
ahead  than  Captain  Leroux  in  the  room  below.  The 
fire  of  Hal's  men,  therefore,  was  more  effective 
than  of  the  French  on  the  ground  floor. 

Below  there  was  a  crash  as  the  door  splintered 
beneath  the  battering  tactics  brought  into  play  by 
the  Germans  who  had  gained  the  shelter  of  the  house 
and  were  able  to  continue  work  without  molesta- 
tion. The  ten  Frenchmen  told  off  by  Captain  Le- 
roux to  defend  the  entrance  held  their  rifles  ready, 
waiting  for  the  first  German  head  to  appear  in  the 
opening. 

But  the  door  was  of  stout  oak,  and  though  it 
seemed  on  the  point  of  giving  under  each  succeed- 
ing blow,  it  still  held.  Hoarse  guttural  cries  from 
without  indicated  that  the  Germans  were  becoming 
impatient  to  get  at  the  French  within.  Came  an 
extra  violent  crash  and  the  door  suddenly  gave  way. 
Three  Germans,  who  had  been  leaning  against  the 
door,  caught  off  their  balance,  were  precipitated 
headlong  into  the  room.  It  was  unfortunate — for 
them. 

Before  they  could  scramble  to  their  feet,  the 
French  had  placed  them  beyond  all  hopes  of  fur* 
ther  fighting.    Their  days  of  war  were  over. 


110  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

But  other  Germans  poured  into  the  door  behind 
them  and  leaped  forward  over  the  prostrate  forms 
of  their  comrades.  Calmly,  the  ten  French  sol- 
diers, far  back  against  the  wall  and  a  little  to  one 
side,  so  as  to  be  out  of  direct  line  of  fire  from  the 
open  doorway,  fired  into  the  surging  mass  of  hu- 
manity. And  their  fire  was  deadly  and  effective. 
In  almost  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it  the  door- 
way was  choked  with  German  dead. 

It  was  a  gruesome  sight  and  even  the  French  sol- 
diers, used  as  they  were  to  such  spectacles,  shud- 
dered inwardly.  It  seemed  foolhardy  for  the  enemy 
to  seek  entrance  to  the  house  through  that  blocked 
door.  Even  the  Germans  realized  it  and  would  have 
drawn  back  but  for  the  fact  that  their  officers,  far- 
ther back,  urged  them  on  with  cries  and  impreca- 
tions. 

Again  there  was  a  concerted  rush  for  the  door. 

The  pile  of  prostrate  German  forms  served  as  a 
shield  for  the  defenders  and  behind  this  barrier  of 
bodies  the  men  took  their  posts  and  poured  a  wither- 
ing fire  into  the  ranks  of  the  attackers.  This  deadly 
fire  was  more  than  the  Germans  could  face,  and  in 
spite  of  the  frantic  efforts  of  their  officers,  they  drew 
off. 

"I  didn't  think  they  could  make  it,"  shouted  Cap- 
tain Leroux.    "Good  work,  men !" 

A  cheer  went  up  from  the  defenders.  But  the 
men  knew  the  calibre  of  these  German  veterans  and 


AT  VERDUN  111 

they  realized  that  the  attack  had  not  been  given  up. 
They  knew  that  the  Germans,  with  their  superior 
numbers,  would  not  desist  and  that  eventually  they 
must  be  overwhelmed. 

"Two  hours !"  Captain  Leroux  had  said. 

Hardly  a  quarter  of  that  time  had  flown  and  in  it 
had  been  crowded  desperate  work  that  well  would 
have  been  enough  for  the  day.  The  men  were  tired, 
but  they  were  not  willing  to  admit  it.  Each  had 
told  himself  that  he  would  die  at  his  post  rather  than 
surrender. 

There  came  a  lull  in  the  fighting. 

To  the  war-seasoned  veterans  of  France  this  lull 
told  a  story  of  its  own.  It  presaged  a  new  and  more 
violent  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Germans  to  force 
the  farmhouse.  Captain  Leroux  knew  it.  So  did 
Hal  and  Chester,  and  at  their  various  stations  they 
gave  quick  commands  to  their  men. 

Taking  care  not  to  expose  himself  too  much,  he 
gazed  from  the  window.  His  action  did  not  even 
bring  a  shot.     This  increased  the  lad's  suspicions. 

"Trying  to  draw  us  out,"  he  muttered.  "Want 
us  to  think  they  have  given  up  the  attempt.  Never 
mind,  Mr.  German,  you  are  not  shrewd  enough." 

The  defenders  waited  patiently;  and  presently 
the  Germans  again  advanced  to  the  attack,  even  as 
Hal  and  Chester  had  known  they  would. 

Forward  came  the  Teuton  horde  in  a  charge. 
From  a  distance  of  perhaps  500  yards,  they  dashed 


112  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

across  the  open  at  full  speed,  apparently  bent  upon 
overawing  the  defenders  by  the  very  appearance  of 
such  numbers. 

But  the  French  did  not  quail.  The  weight  of 
numbers  meant  nothing  to  them.  It  was  not  the 
first  time  they  had  stood  firmly  against  overwhelm- 
ing odds,  and  there  was  not  a  man  in  the  farm- 
house who  did  not  fully  expect  to  survive  the  pres- 
ent battle  and  be  ready  to  face  overwhelming  odds 
again.  Each  man  knew  well  enough  that  before  the 
fighting  was  over  it  was  ten  to  one  that  there  would 
be  but  a  handful  of  the  defenders  left,  but  each 
man  was  confident  he  would  be  one  of  that  num- 
ber. 

They  poured  a  galling  fire  into  the  ranks  of  the 
Germans  as  they  advanced  to  the  charge. 

The  effect  of  this  steady  stream  of  rifle  fire,  ac- 
curate and  deadly  at  such  close  range,  was  bound  to 
tell.  In  spite  of  the  urging  of  their  ofificers,  the 
Germans  wavered.  The  lines  behind  the  first  surged 
forward,  however,  pushing  the  men  in  front  closer 
to  the  deadly  fire  of  the  French.  Those  in  front 
pushed  back  and  for  a  moment  there  was  wild  con- 
fusion without. 

In  vain  German  officers  rushed  in  among  the 
troops,  trying  to  rally  them.  It  was  too  late.  The 
Germans  had  become  demoralized.  A  moment  and 
they  broke  and  fied.    It  was  every  man  for  himself. 

The  French  within  the  farmhouse  raised  a  wild 


AT  VERDUN  113 

cheer  and  poured  volley  after  volley  into  the  flee- 
ing Germans.  Men  tumbled  right  and  left.  The 
German  losses  in  the  retreat  were  greater  even  than 
they  had  been  in  the  advance. 

Hal,  who  had  been  working  like  a  Trojan,  wiped 
the  beads  of  perspiration  from  his  forehead  with 
his  shirt  sleeve — the  work  had  become  so  hot  that 
the  lad  had  removed  his  coat,  though  it  was  still 
cold  without — and  spoke  words  of  encouragement 
to  his  men. 

"Good  work,  boys,"  he  said  quietly.  "A  few 
more  like  that  and  they  will  bother  us  no  more." 

Even  as  he  spoke  the  lad  knew  that  his  words 
meant  nothing.  He  knew  the  Germans  would  not 
give  up  until  they  had  captured  the  farmhouse  or 
had  been  driven  back  by  the  weight  of  superior  num- 
bers, and  at  that  moment  it  did  not  appear  that  re- 
inforcements would  arrive. 

The  troops  also  knew  that  Hal's  words  meant 
nothing,  but  they  cheer^,d  him  anyhow.  They  real- 
ized that  he  had  spoken  as  he  did  merely  to  encour- 
age them;  and  they  liked  the  spirit  that  inspired 
the  words.  They  knew  that  Hal  was  fully  compe- 
tent of  judging  the  hopelessness  of  the  task  ahead 
of  them. 

"The  captain  said  to  hold  them  two  hours,  sir," 
said  one  grizzled  old  veteran  to  Hal.  "How  long 
has  it  been  now,  sir?" 

Hal  glanced  at  his  watch.     "One  hour  exactly/* 


114  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Good !"  exclaimed  the  French  soldier,  "One  half 
of  the  work  done  and  most  of  us  are  still  here. 
We'll  hold  them !" 

"Of  course  we'll  hold  them,  Francois,"  exclaimed 
another.  "Surely  you  didn't  think  we  couldn't  do 
it?" 

"Well,"  was  the  reply.  "It's  a  pretty  big  job 
and " 

"But  we  were  ordered  to  hold  them  for  two 
hours,"  protested  the  other. 

"Of  course,"  returned  the  man  addressed  as  Fran- 
cois.   "That  settles  it.    Two  hours  are  two  hours." 

"Right,"  said  the  other.  "Also  two  hours  are 
only  two  hours,  which  makes  it  that  much  better." 

"But  at  the  end  of  two  hours,  then  what?"  asked 
a  third  soldier. 

The  man  who  had  first  engaged  Francois  in  con- 
versation shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"That,"  he  said,  "is  not  for  us  to  decide.  But 
we  will  not  be  forgotten,  you  may  be  sure  of  that. 
Our  general  will  see  that  we  are  relieved." 

"You  may  rest  assured  on  that  score,"  Hal  agreed, 
"Having  picked  you  as  the  men  to  defend  this  im- 
portant position,  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  he 
will  see  you  all  sacrificed." 

There  was  another  cheer  from  the  men,  followed 
a  moment  later  by  a  shout  from  one  at  the  front 
window. 

"Here  they  come  again,  sir!" 


AT  VERDUN  115 


CHAPTER  XIV 


HAL   LEADS   A   SORTIE 


Hal  sprang  forward  and  gave  a  quick  look  at  the 
enemy. 

Apparently,  the  assault  was  to  be  made  on  the 
same  plan  as  before.  After  the  last  retreat  of  the 
enemy,  their  officers  had  succeeded  in  re-forming 
them  beyond  the  zone  of  French  fire  and  now  were 
about  to  hurl  the  troops  forward  in  another  grand 
offensive  against  the  farmhouse.  The  Germans 
moved  forward  silently  and  doggedly. 

"It'll  be  a  little  warmer  this  time,"  Hal  muttered 
to  himself. 

And  the  lad  was  right. 

Straight  on  came  the  Germans  at  the  charge  in 
spite  of  the  withering  fire  poured  in  among  them 
by  the  French ;  straight  up  to  the  side  of  the  house 
they  rushed,  though  there  were  many  men  who  did 
not  get  that  far;  and  then  the  German  troops  de- 
ployed. 

While  perhaps  a  hundred  men  remained  at  the 
front  of  the  house,   apparently  to  seek  entrance 


116  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

through  the  doorway  blocked  with  their  own  dead, 
the  others  divided  and  dashed  round  the  house,  some 
to  the  right  and  some  to  the  left. 

Now,  for  the  first  time,  French  troops  who  had 
not  been  posted  at  the  front  windows  came  into 
action. 

As  the  Germans  rushed  around  the  house,  these 
French  troops  leaned  from  their  windows  on  the 
side  of  the  house  and  poured  volley  after  volley 
into  the  German  ranks.  They  were  almost  directly 
above  the  Germ.ans  and  the  latter  were  at  a  great 
disadvantage;  for  they  could  not  return  the  fire 
of  the  French  without  pausing  in  their  mad  rush; 
and  when  they  did  pause  and  bring  their  rifles  to 
bear  upon  the  windows  above,  there  were  no  French 
heads  to  be  seen  there. 

But  when  they  dashed  on  again,  the  French  heads 
reappeared  and  again  the  Germans  fell  in  large 
numbers. 

But  the  losses  of  the  French  by  this  time,  in  spite 
of  the  comparative  safety  afforded  by  their  posi- 
tion, had  been  extremely  heavy,  considering  the  size 
of  the  original  force.  Chester,  in  the  basement, 
still  had  suffered  no  casualties,  but  fully  a  third  of 
the  men  on  the  two  floors  above  had  been  killed  or 
wounded. 

And  there  had  been  no  time  to  care  for  these 
wounded,  except  for  the  brief  respites  occasioned 
by  the  retreat  of  the  Crermans.    Now  that  the  fight-, 


AT  VERDUN  lit 

ing  was  on  again  the  wounded  were  left  to  shift  for 
themselves;  and  the  air  was  filled  with  moans  and 
groans. 

The  Germans  in  front  of  the  house  again  had  tried 
in  vain  to  force  a  passage  of  the  doorway,  choked 
with  their  own  dead  and  dying.  This  had  failed,  for 
the  French,  under  the  direction  of  Captain  Leroux, 
had  poured  in  such  a  galling  fire  that  the  Ger- 
mans dropped  as  fast  as  they  appeared  in  the 
doorway. 

From  above,  the  defenders  at  the  front  of  the 
house,  also,  had  done  heavy  execution  among  the 
enemy  below.  Again  the  Germans  wavered;  then 
retreated;  and  the  French  mowed  them  down  as 
they  ran. 

Suddenly  Hal  bethought  himself  of  a  daring 
plan.  Dashing  down  stairs  he  confided  it  to  Cap- 
tain Leroux.  The  latter  clapped  his  hands  in  ap- 
proval. 

"You  shall  direct  the  move,"  he  exclaimed.  "Fll 
take  your  post  and  see  that  the  Germans  in  front 
continue  to  fall  back;  also  I  shall  be  able  to  cover 
you  to  some  extent." 

He  ran  quickly  upstairs. 

Quickly  Hal  picked  fifty  men. 

"Clear  away  those  bodies,"  he  said,  pointing  to 
the  German  dead  that  blocked  the  doorway. 

It  was  the  work  of  but  a  few  minutes. 

"Now,"  said  Hal,  "when  we  go  out  the  door,  I 


118  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

want  half  of  you  to  go  around  the  house  to  the 
left.    The  others  follow  me." 

He  divided  the  men  into  two  squads. 

"We'll  catch  the  fellows  who  got  behind  us  by 
surprise,"  the  lad  explained.  "They  are  still  en- 
gaged with  the  men  at  the  windows  above.  We  can't 
afford  to  be  surrounded.    We  must  drive  them  off." 

Silently,  the  men  filed  from  the  house. 

The  strategy  of  Hal's  plan  was  at  once  apparent. 
The  Germans  who  had  circled  the  house,  after  di- 
viding after  the  grand  assault,  still  were  unaware 
of  the  retreat  of  their  fellows.  They  did  not  know 
that  this  support  had  been  lost  to  them.  Therefore, 
they  were  sure  to  be  at  a  great  disadvantage  when 
attacked  from  a  position  that  they  believed  to  be 
held  by  their  comrades. 

Above,  the  defenders  still  continued  to  fire  rap- 
idly, seeking  to  keep  up  the  delusion. 

There  was  only  one  thing  that  worried  Hal — one 
thing  that  he  felt  possibly  might  bring  disaster  fol- 
lowing his  surprise  attack.  He  knew  that  the  Ger- 
mans who  had  recently  retreated  from  before  the 
farmhouse  would  imderstand  his  plan  the  minute 
he  led  his  men  from  the  farmhouse.  This  would 
mean  another  grand  assault.  The  question  in  Hal's 
mind  was  whether  he  could  get  his  men  back  inside 
the  house  before  the  main  force  of  the  enemy  could 
advance  and  cut  him  off. 

But  he  was  depending  upon  the  French  still  within 


AT  VERDUN  119 

the  house  to  hold  the  foe  off  until  he  could  get  back. 

As  the  French  dashed  suddenly  around  the  house, 
there  came  a  wild  cry  from  the  distant  German 
lines  to  the  east.  The  ruse  had  been  discovered  and 
Hal  realized  that  the  bulk  of  the  enemy  would  be 
upon  them  before  long.  Therefore,  he  knew  he 
must  hurry. 

"Quick !"  he  cried  to  his  men. 

The  latter  needed  no  urging. 

Swiftly  they  dashed  around  the  house  in  either 
direction  and  fell  upon  the  Germans,  who  had  sought 
shelter  at  the  far  side,  with  their  bayonets.  The 
enemy,  taken  completely  by  surprise,  uttered  cries 
of  consternation  and  sought  to  retreat ;  for  their  of- 
ficers had  no  means  of  telling  the  numbers  of  these 
new  foes. 

But  the  French  pressed  them  closely.  Although 
the  Germans  were  taken  at  a  great  disadvantage  be- 
cause of  the  suddenness  of  the  attack,  they,  neverthe- 
less, fought  bravely. 

No  quarter  was  asked. 

For  safety's  sake  the  enemy  pressed  close  to  the 
French,  engaging  them  hand-to-hand.  In  this  was 
their  only  hope  of  success,  for  every  time  a  man 
strayed  from  the  struggling  mass,  a  keen-eyed 
French  soldier  above  dropped  him  with  a  rifle  bul- 
let. 

But  the  struggle  could  have  only  one  end.  Be- 
wildered by  the  sudden  appearance  of  the  French, 


120  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

the  Germans  never  gained  time  to  recover  them- 
selves. The  French  pushed  the  fighting;  and  soon 
it  was  all  over. 

There  remained  now  only  half  a  score  of  Ger- 
mans standing. 

"Surrender!"  called  Hal. 

With  the  exception  of  one,  the  men  threw  down 
their  weapons.  The  exception  was  a  German  offi- 
ficer,  who  evidently  had  been  in  command.  He 
sprang  toward  Hal  with  a  cry  and  thrust  with  his 
sword. 

The  move  had  been  so  unexpected  that  the  lad 
was  caught  completely  off  his  guard  and  the  sword 
must  have  pierced  him  had  it  not  been  for  the  quick- 
ness of  a  French  soldier  who  stood  near.  Without 
taking  thought  to  his  own  danger,  this  man  sprang 
forward  and  grappled  with  the  German. 

The  latter  hurled  the  French  soldier  from  him 
with  a  sudden  powerful  move  and  again  advanced 
on  Hal.  But  now  the  lad  was  ready  for  him  and  his 
sword  met  the  sv/ord  of  the  German  officer  neatly. 

In  vain  the  German  officer  sought  to  break  down 
Hal's  guard.  Hal  foiled  him  at  every  turn.  The 
German  was  furiously  angry,  but  Hal  was  smiling 
easily.  The  lad  realized  that  he  probably  owed  his 
life  to  the  German's  anger,  for  at  the  first  touch  of 
swords  the  lad  had  realized  that  the  German  was 
clearly  his  master.  Therefore,  the  lad  jeered  at  the 
officer  as  he  fought. 


AT  VERDUN  121 

Hal  became  more  certain  of  the  outcome  of  the 
duel  as  it  continued,  for  with  every  thrust  and  parry 
the  German  became  more  and  more  angry  because 
he  could  not  overcome  this  boy.  Perspiration  rolled 
down  his  face  and  he  panted  with  rage. 

"I'll  get  you!"  he  cried. 

*'0h,  not  for  some  time  yet,"  Hal  grinned  back 
at  him. 

The  German  swore. 

"Now !  Now !"  said  Hal.  "That's  no  way  for  a 
nice  German  officer  to  do.  What  would  the  em- 
peror say?" 

The  duel  was  interrupted  at  this  point  by  a  sud- 
den cry  from  the  farmhouse. 

"Never  mind  him,  Lieutenant!  Back  into  the 
house  quickly!" 

It  was  the  voice  of  Captain  Leroux  and  the  tone 
told  Hal  how  urgent  was  the  call.  Taking  a  quick 
step  forward,  he  caused  the  German  officer  to  re- 
treat a  few  paces.  Then  Hal  lowered  his  sword, 
and  calling  to  his  men  to  follow  him,  dashed  to- 
ward the  front  of  the  house. 

Behind,  the  German  officer  broke  into  a  torrent 
of  abuse  and  would  have  continued  it  had  not  a 
French  soldier,  who  cared  nothing  for  the  etiquette 
of  duelling,  put  an  end  to  him  with  a  rifle  bullet. 

To  the  half  score  of  men  who  had  thrown  down 
their  arms,  Hal  cried : 

"Back  to  your  ov/n  lines  quickly  or  you  shall  be 


122  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

shot  down !  No,"  pausing  and  levelling  his  revolver 
as  one  of  the  Germans  sought  to  stoop  and  pick  up 
his  discarded  rifle,  "never  mind  the  gun.  Another 
move  like  that  and  you'll  all  be  shot  down.  Move, 
now!" 

The  Germans  wasted  no  further  time  and  made 
for  the  shelter  of  their  own  lines  at  top  speed. 

And  their  own  lines  were  advancing  rapidly  to 
meet  them. 

"Quick,  men !"  cried  Hal.    "Into  the  house !" 

They  had  now  reached  the  front  door  again  and 
Hal  stood  to  one  side  that  his  men  might  enter  first. 

Above,  the  fire  of  the  defenders  had  broken  out 
afresh,  but  the  Germans  rushed  forward  in  spite 
of  it.  Bullets  hummed  close  about  Hal's  head  as 
he  stood  beside  the  doorway,  but  none  struck  him; 
and  at  last  all  the  men  were  inside. 

Hal  went  in  after  them. 

From  without  came  a  cry  of  rage  as  the  advanc- 
ing Germans  realized  that,  for  the  moment,  at  least, 
they  had  been  deprived  of  their  prey. 

"Guard  the  door  there,  men !"  shouted  Hal.  "Get 
back  and  to  one  side  out  of  the  line  of  fire.  Save 
your  bullets  until  they  cross  the  threshold,  then  shoot 
them  down." 

The  men  moved  into  position.  Hal  glanced 
quickly  around  to  make  sure  that  all  was  in  readiness 
and  at  that  moment  Captain  Leroux  descended  the 
stairs. 


AT  VERDUN  123 

"Good  work,  Mr.  Paine,"  he  said  quietly.  "If  I 
live,  I  shall  report  this  piece  of  work.  I  will  take 
command   here  now.     Return  to  your  post  above.'* 

Hal  saluted  and  did  as  commanded. 

Hardly  had  he  reached  position  above  when  he 
heard  Captain  Leroux  below  give  the  command: 

"Fir«!" 


124  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XV 


LEFT   BEHIND 


The  Germans  had  drawn  off  again. 

The  last  assault  had  met  with  no  better  success 
than  had  the  attacks  that  had  gone  before.  True, 
the  defenders  had  suffered  considerably,  for  the  Ger- 
man fire  had  been  accurate;  but  the  losses  of  the 
French  had  been  as  nothing  compared  with  those 
of  the  Teutons. 

This  last  assault  had  been  more  severe  than  the 
others.  The  Germans  had  shown  even  greater  te- 
nacity and  courage  than  before.  In  vain  had  their 
officers  sought  to  hold  them  to  the  attack.  Once, 
twice,  thrice  had  the  human  sea  surged  against  the 
farmhouse,  only  to  be  thrown  back;  so  at  last  the 
Germans  had  withdrawn. 

Dead  and  wounded  men  strewed  the  floor.  There 
were  still  some  who  had  not  been  touched  by  the 
bullets  of  the  foe,  but  the  majority  of  the  defenders 
of  the  top  floor  lay  prone. 

Hal  shook  his  head  sadly. 

"Don't  believe  we  can  withstand  another  such 
charge,"  he  said  aloud. 

"How  long  yet,  sir?"  asked  the  grizzled  old  vet- 


AT  VERDUN  125 

eran,  Francois,  who,  though  he  had  kept  his  place 
at  the  window  through  the  last  attack,  had  escaped 
the  German  bullets. 

Again  Hal  gazed  closely  at  his  watch, 

"Twelve  minutes  to  go,"  he  said  quietly. 

The  face  of  Francois  brightened. 

"Then  we  are  all  right,  sir,"  he  said.  "They  will 
hardly  attack  again  in  that  time,  sir." 

Hal  shook  his  head. 

They  are  likely  to  attack  at  any  moment,"  he  re- 
plied slowly.  "Besides,  if  we  do  succeed  in  beating 
them  off  once  more,  there  is  nothing  to  assure  us 
that  we  will  be  relieved  then." 

"Nothing  sir,"  returned  Francois,  "except  Cap- 
tain Leroux's  word  that  we  have  only  to  hold  this 
house  two  hours,  sir." 

"True,"  said  Hal,  brightening  visibly.  "1 
shouldn't  have  spoken  as  I  did.  We  must  trust  tc 
the  others,  and  if  they  fail,  why,  we'll  know  it  is 
not  their  fault." 

"Right,  sir,"  said  Francois.  "If  they  fail,  it  will 
not  be  their  fault." 

He  returned  to  his  place  at  the  window. 

On  the  floor  below  Captain  Leroux  also  had  taken 
account  of  his  casualties.  Merely  a  handful  of  men 
remained  unwounded.  Some  of  the  m^en  who  had 
felt  the  effects  of  the  German  fire  were  still  in  con- 
dition to  continue  the  fight  should  their  services  be 
necessary,  but  their  number  was  few. 


126  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

The  captain  shook  his  head  dubiously  as  he* 
glanced  at  his  watch. 

"Ten  minutes,"  he  muttered.  "Well,  we'll  hold 
it  that  long,  but  afterwards  I  can't  be  held  account- 
able.   There  will  be  none  of  us  left." 

In  the  basement  Chester  and  his  five  men  still 
were  unmarked.  Though  they  had  stood  at  the 
small  windows  and  fired  at  whatever  German  forms 
came  within  view,  they  had  had  little  work  to  do, 
The  men  were  beginning  to  murmur  among  them-^- 
selves. 

"We're  not  needed  down  here,"  said  one.  "We 
should  be  upstairs  where  the  fighting  is  being  done. 
No  Germans  will  seek  to  come  in  here." 

"That's  right,"  said  another,  "we  might  do  some 
good  above.  Here  we  are  doing  nothing  at  all. 
Why,  we  have  hardly  seen  a  German.  I  don't  be- 
lieve any  of  the  enemy  have  spotted  this  opening 
yet,  either." 

"Nor  I ;  wish  they  had  let  me  stay  upstairs." 

"What's  all  this?"  demanded  Chester,  suddenly. 
"You  men  have  been  in  the  ranks  long  enough  to 
know  better  than  to  question  your  officers'  orders. 
You  have  been  posted  here  and  here  you  shall  re- 
main I'ntil  I  get  orders  to  the  contrary." 

"But,  sir,"  said  one  of  the  men,  "we  woula 
like " 

"Silence !"  said  Chester.    "Back  to  your  places." 

The  men  obeyed,  though  they  continued  to  mur* 


AT  VERDUN  127 

raur.  Chester  softened  a  few  minutes  later  and 
again  addressed  his  men. 

"I  have  no  doubt  you  fellows  will  have  all  the 
fighting  you  want  before  this  thing  is  over,"  he  said 
quietly.  "As  nearly  as  I  can  make  out  from  here 
the  men  upstairs  must  be  about  done  for.  I  ques- 
tion whether  they  will  be  able  to  beat  off  another 
attack." 

"And  are  the  two  hours  up,  sir,"  asked  one  of 
the  men. 

Chester  glanced  at  his  watch. 

"Not  quite,"  he  returned. 

"How  much  to  go,  sir  ?'* 

"A  little  more  than  five  minutes." 

The  man's  face  darkened. 

"And  we'll  be  relieved  at  the  end  of  that  time 
without  having  done  any  fighting,"  he  said.  "Here 
we  sit  down  here  in  the  dark  and  the  other  fellows 
have  all  the  fun." 

"You're  liable  to  get  yours  yet,"  said  Chester. 
"H  I  mistake  not,  the  Germans  are  returning  to  the 
attack.     I  hear  the  sounds  of  firing  from  above." 

Chester  was  right.  The  Germans  again  had  ad- 
vanced to  the  charge. 

Above,  Hal  and  Captain  Leroux  were  issuing  or- 
ders to  their  men  for  what  each  believed  would  be 
the  final  efifort.  Should  this  attack  be  repulsed,  both 
had  some  slight  hopes  that  they  would  not  be  com- 
pelled   to    face    another — that    French    reinforce- 


128  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

ments  would  arrive  before  the  Germans  could  ad- 
vance again.  But,  also,  neither  was  sure  in  his  own 
mind  that  the  approaching  attack  of  the  foe  could 
be  beaten  off. 

And  this  time  the  Germans  seemed  to  be  advanc- 
ing in  even  greater  numbers  than  before. 

"Crack !  Crack !  Crack !  Crack !  Crack !"  came  the 
spatter  of  German  bullets  against  the  side  of  the 
house;  and  occasionally  a  bullet  struck  home  and 
left  no  sound,  unless  it  was  the  sound  of  a  man  top- 
pling over  backwards  to  the  floor,  or  a  man  as  he 
clapped  his  hand  to  his  head.  The  rifle  bombard- 
ment was  having  its  effect. 

The  sharp  crack  of  French  rifles  answered  the 
challenge  of  the  Germans,  though,  because  of  the 
fact  that  the  ranks  of  the  defenders  had  been  sadly 
depleted,  their  weapons  spoke  not  so  often.  But 
when  they  did  speak,  men  fell ;  for,  at  this  crucial 
stage  of  the  battle,  they  were  making  every  shot 
count. 

But  this  time,  it  seemed,  the  Germans  were  not 
to  be  denied.  Men  as  well  as  officers  understood  the 
slowness  of  the  French  fire.  The  Germans  were 
flushed  with  the  spirit  of  victory,  despite  the  fact 
that  the  field  on  all  sides  of  the  farmhouse  was  cov- 
ered with  their  own  dead  and  dying.  The  German 
soldiers  realized,  as  did  their  officers,  that  the  end 
of  the  courageous  defense  was  near.  Another  ef- 
fort and  the  farmhouse  would  be  theirs. 


AT  VERDUN  129 

For  some  reason,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
German  troops  appeared  to  be  making  fair  prog- 
ress, their  advance  was  suddenly  stayed.  At  some 
distance  they  halted  and  continued  to  pepper  the 
house  with  rifle  bullets,  doing  little  damage  at  that 
distance. 

Horses  dashed  suddenly  into  view,  dragging  be- 
hind them  a  rapid-fire  gun. 

Hal  guessed  the  answer. 

"That's  to  mow  us  down  when  we  try  to  run," 
he  told  himself.     "Well " 

He  broke  off  and  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

Now  the  Germans  came  on  again,  the  rapid-fire 
gun  covering  their  advance.  A  moment  later  the 
side  of  the  farmhouse  resembled  a  sieve,  it  was  so 
full  of  holes.  For  a  man  to  stick  his  head  out  the 
window  meant  instant  death. 

But  as  the  Germans  drew  closer,  the  rapid  firer 
became  silent,  for,  without  risking  the  lives  of  Ger- 
mans as  well  as  French,  it  was  of  no  value  now. 
At  the  same  moment  the  heads  of  the  defenders 
again  appeared  at  the  windows  and  renewed  the 
work  of  picking  off  the  Germans  as  they  charged. 

For  some  reason  Hal  took  the  time  to  glance  at 
his  watch  once  more. 

"Time's  up!"  he  told  himself  gravely,  "and  no 
help  in  sight." 

But  the  lad  was  wrong ;  for,  could  he  have  looked 
from  the  rear  of  the  house  at  that  moment,  he  would 


130  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

have  seen  advancing  several  columns  of  French  cav- 
alry, coming  to  their  relief. 

The  Germans  saw  the  approach  of  reinforcements 
and  redoubled  their  efforts  to  gain  the  farmhouse 
before  the  reinforcements  could  arrive.  But  it  was 
too  late.  With  wild  cries,  the  French  cavalrymen 
swept  down  and  about  the  house.  Cheers  from  the 
•defenders  greeted  them.  The  men  left  their  places 
at  the  windows  and  ran  from  the  house.  Hurriedly 
the  wounded  were  carried  out  and  the  retreat 
begun. 

And  at  that  moment  the  Germans,  also  reinforced, 
charged  again.  Greatly  outnumbered  the  French 
retreated,  firing  as  they  went. 

Then,  for  the  first  time,  Hal  noticed  Chester's  ab- 
sence. 

"Great  Scott!"  he  exclaimed  to  Captain  Leroux, 
"we  have  come  away  without  notifying  the  men  in 
the  basement." 

Quickly  the  two  made  their  way  to  the  French 
'commander  and  laid  the  situation  before  him.  The 
latter  shook  his  head  sadly. 

"It's  too  late  now,"  he  said  quietly.  "Look  at 
the  number  of  the  foe.  We  could  not  make  headway 
against  them." 

He  was  deaf  to  all  Hal's  entreaties  that  he  make 
the  effort. 

In  the  basement.  Chester  and  his  five  men  had 
been  unable  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  increased 


AT  VERDUN  181 

firing  at  one  moment  and  the  lull  a  moment  later. 
Chester  had  about  decided  that  the  defenders  had 
given  up  and  that  he  and  his  men  in  the  cellar  were 
all  that  remained. 

From  his  window  he  could  see  the  Germans  only 
when  they  came  into  a  certain  position;  and  what 
went  on  above  he  had  no  means  of  telling.  But 
that  the  others  would  go  and  leave  him  and  his  men 
behind  had  not  entered  his  head.  Therefore,  he  de- 
cided to  remain  quiet  with  his  men. 

But  when  an  hour  had  passed  and  there  came  no 
more  sounds  of  firing  from  above,  Chester  decided 
it  was  time  to  investigate.  Accordingly,  he  ascended 
the  steps  quietly,  i 

There  was  no  one  above.  The  lad  gazed  about 
quickly.  Except  for  the  dead,  there  was  no  French- 
man in  the  house.  Bloodstains  on  the  floor  showed 
that  the  wounded  had  been  removed. 

Then  Chester  realized  what  had  happened. 

Quickly  he  ran  to  the  door  and  peered  out.  Far 
in  the  rear  he  could  see  the  French  retreating,  pur- 
sued by  the  foe.  Chester  uttered  an  exclamation  of 
dismay  and  called  to  his  men.  He  explained  the 
situation  to  them.     All  were  dumbfounded. 

At  that  moment  Chester  espied  an  object  a  short 
distance  from  the  farmhouse.  There  was  no  living 
form  near.  With  a  sudden  cry  of  hope,  Chester 
dashed  from  the  house, 

"Come  on,  men !"  he  called  over  his  shoulder^ 


182  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XVI 
Chester's  gallant  feat 

The  object  upon  which  Chester's  eyes  had  fallen 
and  which  was  the  cause  of  the  sudden  activity  on 
the  lad's  part  was  nothing  less  than  the  rapid-fire 
gun  the  Germans  so  recently  had  brought  up  to 
bombard  the  farmhouse  and  cut  off  the  retreat  of  its 
French  defenders.  Its  crew  had  been  killed,  picked 
off  by  the  accurate  shooting  of  the  French  before 
they  abandoned  the  house,  and  the  gun  had  not  been 
remanned.  Apparently  the  Germans  had  overlooked 
the  small  field  piece  in  their  haste  to  give  chase  to 
the  retreating  French. 

The  horses  were  standing  a  short  distance  away, 
unhurt,  as  Chester  could  see.  The  lad  dashed  to- 
ward the  gim  at  top  speed,  his  five  men  following 
him  as  fast  as  they  could  run. 

There  was  a  light  of  anticipation  on  Chester's 
face  as  he  reached  the  gun  and  examined  it  care- 
fully. 

"Plenty  of  ammun-'^ion,"  he  said  with  a  grin,  as 
his  men  came  up  to'him. 

The  others  grinned  fliso. 


AT  VERDUN  133 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  it,  sir?"  asked 
one. 

Chester  waved  his  arm  in  the  direction  of  the  re- 
treating French  and  pursuing  Germans. 

"Give  those  fellows  a  little  surprise  party  when 
they  turn  back,"  he  said. 

The  men  caught  the  idea  and  were  immediately 
filled  with  enthusiasm. 

"We'd  better  get  away  from  here  before  weVe 
discovered,  though,"  said  Chester.  "Catch  those 
horses,  some  of  you." 

This  was  an  easy  matter,  for  the  horses  stood  still 
as  two  of  the  French  soldiers  approached  them. 

"Hook  'em  up,"  cried  Chester. 

This,  too,  was  the  work  of  a  moment. 

"I'll  do  the  driving,"  said  Chester.  "You  fellows 
climb  aboard." 

The  others  needed  no  urging  and  a  moment  later 
this  strange  battery  moved  toward  the  French  lines 
at  a  gallop. 

The  Germans  in  pursuit  of  the  French  were  still 
in  plain  view  and  Chester  intended  to  keep  close 
behind.  He  reasoned  that  the  distance  was  too  great 
for  the  Germans  to  make  out  the  uniforms  of  the 
men  on  the  gun  and  he  intended  to  turn  off  the 
roadway  at  the  first  sign  that  the  Germans  were 
ready  to  give  up  the  chase. 

Along  the  road  ran  a  fringe  of  trees,  sparse  in 
some  places  and  thicker  in  others.    It  was  Chester's 


184  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

plan  to  wheel  the  gun  in  among  the  trees  at  the 
proper  moment  and  open  on  the  foe  when  they  came 
back. 

And  the  plan  was  to  be  put  in  execution  sooner 
than  the  lad  had  hoped  for. 

Chester  saw  the  Germans  slow  down.  Then  they 
turned  and  came  toward  him.  The  lad  could  not 
make  out  at  once  the  cause  of  their  sudden  decision 
to  retreat,  but  it  came  to  him  a  moment  later  with 
the  sound  of  heavy  rifle  firing.  Apparently,  French 
infantry  had  advanced  to  the  support  of  the  cavalry 
and  the  Germans  were  not  strong  enough  in  num- 
bers to  contest  effectively. 

Immediately,  Chester  swung  the  horses  to  the 
right  in  among  the  trees,  which,  fortunately,  hap- 
pened to  be  dense  at  this  particular  point. 

"Guess  we'll  give  'em  a  little  surprise,"  said  Ches- 
ter, with  a  grin. 

Dismounting,  he  motioned  the  men  to  unhitch  the 
horses,  which  was  done.  Then  the  gun  was  whirled 
into  position  where  it  commanded  the  roadway. 

"We're  ready  for  them,"  said  Chester,  quietly. 

The  Germans  drew  on  apace.  Suddenly  a  thought 
struck  Chester. 

"Great  Scott !"  he  exclaimed.  "I  can't  shoot  them 
down  in  cold  blood,  I'll  have  to  give  them  a  chance. 
Here!"  he  motioned  to  one  of  his  men  and  the  lat- 
ter approached.  "Take  this  gun,"  the  lad  com- 
manded.   "I'm  going  to  give  these  fellows  a  chance 


AT  VERDUN  135 

to  surrender.  If  they  refuse  I'll  duck  hack  here 
and  you  let  them  have  it.  I'll  keep  out  of  range,  but 
don't  turn  this  gun  until  I  get  back.    Understand  ?" 

The  man  signified  that  he  did. 

Chester  walked  some  distance  back  to  where  the 
road  curved  a  bit.  He  was  out  of  the  direct  line 
of  fire,  but  still  in  such  position  to  make  his 
demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  Germans  with- 
out allowing  them  to  pass  the  sweep  of  the 
rapid-firer. 

With  the  Germans  still  some  distance  down  the 
road,  Chester  stepped  directly  into  the  highway  and 
raised  a  hand. 

The  leading  Germans  pulled  up  and  an  olificer  de- 
manded : 

"What's  the  matter?" 

"Surrender!"  exclaimed  Chester,  "or  you  shall 
all  be  killed." 

The  German  officer  gave  a  great  laugh. 

"Hear  the  boy  talk,"  he  exclaimed.  "He  asks 
us  to  surrender  when  we  have  just  chased  all  the 
French  back  to  their  own  lines." 

There  was  a  roar  of  laughter  from  the  troop. 

"Surrender!"  called  Chester  again. 

Again  there  was  a  laugh  and  the  German  officer 
called : 

"Throw  up  your  hands,  boy,  or  you  shall  be 
shot!" 

"Well,"  said  Chester,  "I've  done  all  I  can.     I've 


136  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

warned  you.    Your  blood  be  upon  your  own  heads." 

With  a  sudden  leap  he  disappeared  among  the 
trees.  With  a  fierce  cry,  the  German  officer  made 
after  him,  firing  as  he  did  so. 

At  the  same  moment  there  was  a  crash  as  of  a 
thousand  rifles.  Germans  fell  from  their  saddles 
like  chaff  before  a  storm.  Horses  reared,  screamed, 
stampeded  and  fell  down  dead,  crushing  their  riders 
beneath  them. 

By  this  time  Chester  had  returned  to  his  men 
and  took  charge  of  the  rapid-fire  gun  himself.  He 
turned  it  this  way  and  that,  sweeping  the  roadway 
clear,  where  the  foe  was  in  range.  •- 

And  from  far  behind  the  German  line  at  this 
moment  broke  out  the  crack  of  rifles.  The  French 
infantry  had  advanced  in  pursuit  of  the  Germans, 
a  squadron  of  cavalry  showing  the  way. 

The  Germans  were  caught  between  two  fires. 

Unable  to  estimate  the  number  of  men  in  the 
force  that  had  ambushed  them,  the  Germans  threw 
down  their  arms. 

^'We  surrender !"  cried  a  German  officer. 

Instantly  the  fire  of  the  machine  gun  ceased  and 
Chester  advanced  to  the  road  again.  The  same 
German  officer  who,  a  moment  ago,  had  scorned 
the  lad's  warning,  now  advanced  and  tendered  his 
sword  to  Chester. 

"Tell  your  men  to  throw  down  their  arms,"  com- 
manded Chester. 


AT  VERDUN  137 

The  officer  did  so,  and  swords  and  pistols  rattled 
to  the  ground. 

*'Now,"  said  Chester,  "you  will  about  face  and 
march  toward  the  French  lines.  There  must  be 
no  foolishness.  My  army  here  is  rather  small,  but 
we  still  have  the  rapid-fire  gun  and  it  will  be  trained 
upon  you  until  you  are  safe." 

The  lad  signalled  to  his  men,  who  had  already 
hitched  up  the  horses,  and  these  now  advanced. 

"What!"  exclaimed  the  German  officer,  when  he 
had  taken  a  glance  at  Chester's  "army,"  "are  these 
all  the  men  you  had  when  you  attacked  us  ?" 

"They  seemed  to  be  enough,"  said  Chester,  with 
a  smile. 

"No  wonder  we  haven't  beaten  you  a  long  while 
ago,"  the  German  officer  mumbled  to  himself. 
"When  five  men  and  one  a  boy  perform  a  feat  like 
this,  I  begin  to  have  my  doubts  as  to  the  outcome  of 
this  war." 

"Well,"  said  Chester,  "I  don't  have  any  such 
doubts.    But  come,  now;  forward  march." 

Slowly  the  German  troopers  marched  ahead, 
Chester  and  his  machine  gun  bringing  up  the  rear. 

And  in  this  manner  they  came  directly  upon  the 
French  cavalry  and  infantry  advancing  in  pursuit 
of  the  Germans. 

Great  were  the  exclamations  among  the  French 
troops  when  it  was  found  that  five  men  and  a  young 
officer  had  made  such  an  important  capture,  to  say 


138  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

nothing  of  the  terrible  execution  inflicted  upon  the 
enemy  with  their  own  rapid-fire  gun.  The  French 
officers  were  loud  in  the  praises  of  Chester's  gal- 
lantry. 

And  with  the  troop  of  French  cavalry  Chester 
found  Hal  and  Captain  Leroux. 

"By  Jove!  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  Chester,"  said 
Hal,  advancing  with  outstretched  hand.  "I  was 
afraid  we  wouldn't  get  back  in  time." 

"I  guess  you  wouldn't  have,  if  we  had  waited  for 
you,"  said  Chester,  dryly.  "I  wasn't  going  to  take 
any  more  chances  if  I  could  help  it.  When  you  left 
us  there  by  ourselves,  I  was  sure  if  we  wanted  to 
come  away,  we'd  have  to  do  it  by  ourselves." 

"We  didn't  do  it  intentionally,"  said  Captain  Le- 
roux. 

"Who  said  you  did?"  demanded  Chester,  some- 
what angrily. 

The  French  captain  flushed.  He  drew  himself 
up,  seemed  about  to  make  an  angry  reply;  then 
cooled  down  and  said : 

"I'm  sorry." 

With  that  he  walked  away. 

"Look  here,  Chester,"  said  Hal,  "you  know  that 
I  wouldn't  have  left  you  behind  for  anything  if  I 
had  only  thought  of  it.  But  in  the  excitement 
and " 

"That's  it,"  said  Chester.  "There  was  too  much 
excitement  and  you  were  having  it  all.    I  get  buried 


AT  VERDUN  139 

down  in  a  cellar  with  five  men  and  sit  there  in  the 
dark  till  the  fun's  all  over.  Then  you  don't  even 
take  the  trouble  to  tell  me  it's  time  to  go  home.  I 
don't  like  it." 

"Great  Scott!  You're  not  mad,  are  you,  Ches- 
ter?" 

"Mad?  Sure  I'm  mad.  Next  time  you  get  in  a 
hole  I'm  going  to  walk  away  and  leave  you  there." 

Hal  smiled. 

"Oh,  I  guess  not,"  he  returned, 

"You  do,  eh  ?  Well,  you  try  it  and  see  what  hap- 
pens." 

"Come,  now,  Chester,  you  know  how  this  thing 
happened,"  said  Hal.    "We  didn't  do  it  purposely." 

Chester  seemed  about  to  make  an  angry  retort; 
but  a  moment  later  a  smile  broke  over  his  face  and 
he  extended  a  hand  to  his  chum. 

"I  know  you  didn't,"  he  replied,  "but  can't  a  fel- 
low have  a  little  fun?" 

Hal  took  the  hand  as  he  exclaimed : 

"You've  offended  Captain  Leroux. 

"Well,"  said  Chester,  "Captain  Leroux  has  of- 
fended me." 


14.0  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A   QUEER   SITUATION 


«( 


'Somebody  following  us,  Hal !" 

"That  so?"  said  Hal;  "and  why  should  we  be 
followed  along  here?" 

"I  don't  know,"  was  Chester's  reply,  "but  I  have 
noticed  a  shadow  following  us  wherever  we  go." 

"We'll  see  about  it,"  was  Hal's  rejoinder. 

It  was  the  night  succeeding  the  day  on  which  the 
lads  had  taken  part  in  the  defense  of  Thiaumont 
farmhouse.  They  had  returned  to  their  quarters 
late  in  the  day,  had  reported  to  General  Petain  and 
had  been  relieved  of  duty  until  the  following  morn- 
ing. It  was  now  after  8  o'clock  and  they  were 
strolling  about  the  camp. 

They  had  made  their  way  well  back  into  the  heart 
of  the  armed  settlement  when  Chester  had  made  the 
announcement  that  they  were  being  followed. 

With  Hal  to  reach  a  decision  was  to  act.  Chester 
let  his  friend  do  the  leading  in  this  instance. 

Hal  quickened  his  steps  and  walked  quickly  down 
the  row  of  tents,  which,  well  back  of  the  trenches. 


AT  VERDUN  141 

were  laid  out  in  the  form  of  streets,  and  which,  in 
fact,  were  called  streets  by  the  soldiers  themselves. 
Chester  followed. 

At  the  first  cross  street,  for  so  they  may  be  called. 
Hal  led  the  way  sharply  to  the  left  and  stopped  sud" 
denly.  A  moment  later  a  figure  came  slinking 
around  after  them.  Hal  reached  out  an  arm  and 
grabbed  him, 

"Here,"  he  said,  "what  are  you  following  us 
for?" 

The  man  tried  to  free  himself,  but  Hal  held  him 
tight. 

"If  you'll  let  me  loose,  I'll  explain,"  he  said  fi- 
nally. 

Hal  considered  this  a  moment ;  then  with  a  shrug 
of  his  shoulders  released  his  hold. 

"Stand  behind  him,  Chester,"  he  said. 

Chester  followed  Hal's  injunction,  but  the  man 
made  no  effort  to  escape. 

"Well?"  said  Hal,  questioningly. 

The  man  thrust  a  hand  into  his  pocket. 

"Hold  on  there!"  cried  Hal,  sharply,  producing 
his  revolver.    "No  tricks  now." 

The  man  sm.iled  and  withdrew  his  hand  from  his 
pocket. 

"I  wasn't  after  a  gun,"  he  said. 

He  opened  his  hand  and  in  the  palm  Hal  saw  a  lit- 
tle round  object. 

"Can  you  match  that?"  the  man  demanded. 


142  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Hal  peered  closer  and  made  out  the  nature  of  the 
object  in  the  man's  hand. 

"A  black  pea !"  he  exclaimed.  "Yes,  I  can  match 
it." 

He  thrust  a  hand  in  his  pocket  and  produced  a 
black  pea,  which  not  many  days  before  had  rolled 
from  the  pocket  of  Jules  Clemenceau. 

The  stranger  looked  at  it  closely. 

"All  right,"  he  said.  He  turned  to  Chester. 
"And  you?"  he  demanded. 

Chester's  reply  was  to  produce  his  black  pea» 
which  he  exhibited  to  the  man. 

"Good !"  said  the  stranger.    "Follow  me." 

"Follow  you  where?"  Chester  wanted  to  know. 

"Yes ;  what's  all  this  funny  business,  anyhow  ?" 
demanded  Hal. 

The  man  smiled  enigmatically. 

"Best  to  be  careful,"  he  said.    "Come  on." 

Chester  looked  at  Hal  and  the  latter  nodded. 

"Might  as  well  see  what  it's  all  about,"  said  the 
latter. 

They  fell  into  step  behind  the  stranger. 

With  many  turns  and  twists  the  man  walked  for 
perhaps  half  an  hour.  Apparently  he  was  bent  on 
beclouding  the  lads'  sense  of  direction. 

"I  say!"  Hal  called  a  halt  finally.  "Where  are 
you  taking  us?" 

"It's  not  much  farther,"  the  man  protested,  "and 
I  have  been  instructed  to  bring  you." 


AT  VERDUN  143 

"Instructed  to  bring  us  ?"  echoed  Chester,  "and  by 
whom  ?" 

"You'll  learn  that  later,"  was  the  stranger's  re- 
sponse.    "Are  you  coming?" 

Again  Hal  and  Chester  exchanged  glances.  The 
latter  shrugged. 

"We've  started;  may  as  well  see  it  through,"  he 
said. 

"All  right,"  Hal  agreed  and  turned  to  the 
stranger,  "but  cut  out  all  this  winding  about,"  he 
demanded.  "There  is  a  quicker  way  of  reaching 
our  destination,  wherever  it  may  be," 

The  stranger  smiled,  but  made  no  reply.  He 
moved  off  and  the  boys  followed  him,  and  at  last 
they  came  to  their  journey's  end. 

Before  an  army  tent  the  man  stopped  a  few  mo- 
ments later. 

"In  here,"  he  said. 

He  entered  and  Hal  and  Chester  paused  long 
enough  to  look  at  each  other. 

"I  guess  it's  all  right,"  said  Hal.  "Can't  much 
happen  right  in  the  heart  of  the  camp.     Come  on." 

He  entered  the  tent  with  Chester  close  behind  him. 

Within  powerful  arms  seized  them  and  dragged 
them  down ;  and  before  they  could  cry  out  gags 
were  stuffed  in  their  mouths.  In  vain  the  lads 
struggled  to  free  themselves.  They  were  soon 
safely  bound. 

Up  to  this  time  the  tent  had  been  in  darkness, 


144.  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

but  now  someone  struck  a  light.  Hal  and  Chester 
gazed  at  their  captors.  All  were  attired  in  regula- 
tion army  uniforms,  but  their  faces  were  masked. 
One  man,  who  seemed  to  be  the  leader,  was  short 
and  chunky.  The  others  were  taller.  The  small 
man  approached  the  lads  and  spoke. 

"H  you  will  give  me  your  words  to  make  no  out- 
cry, I  shall  have  the  gags  removed,"  he  said  in  a 
shrill,  quavering  voice,  plainly  disguised. 

Hal  considered  this  point  a  moment ;  then  nodded 
his  head  in  token  of  assent.     Chester  did  likewise. 

"All  right,"  said  the  little  man  and  beckoned 
the  others  to  remove  the  gags. 

Their  mouths  free  of  the  evil-tasting  cloths,  Hal 
and  Chester  breathed  easier. 

"Now,"  said  Chester,  "perhaps  you  will  explain 
what  this  is  all  about." 

The  little  man  shook  his  head. 

"No,"  he  replied,  "all  I  can  tell  you  is  this !  You 
shall  be  kept  confined  here  until  your  removal  to 
Paris  can  be  arranged.  Then  you  will  be  sent  to 
London  and  put  aboard  a  vessel  for  New  York. 
That's  all  I  can  say." 

"But  v^'hat  for?"  demanded  Hal,  angrily. 

"That  you  will  not  be  told,"  was  the  reply,  "al- 
though I  guess  you  don't  need  to  be  told." 

"By  George !"  exclaimed  Chester,  "I  don't  know 
what  you  are  talking  about,  but  you  can  take  my 
word  that  somebody  is  going  to  suffer   for  this 


AT  VERDUN  145 

night's  work.    How  long  do  you  intend  to  hold  us 
here?" 

"I  can't  say.  Possibly  a  day  or  two ;  at  all  events, 
until  your  removal  can  be  arranged." 

"Do  you  know  who  we  are?"  demanded  Hal. 

The  little  man  nodded. 

"Perfectly,"  he  replied. 

"You  know  that  we  are  attached  to  the  staff  of 
General  Petain?" 

Again  their  captor  nodded. 

"And  still  you've  got  the  nerve  to  hold  us  here?" 

"Yes,  I've  got  the  nerve." 

"Don't  you  know  you  shall  suffer  for  this?" 

The  man  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"At  least  I  shall  have  done  my  duty,"  he  replied. 

"Duty!  Great  Scott  !  Duty!  What  are  you 
talking  about?"  demanded  Hal,  angrily.  "Are  you 
a  German  sympathizer?"  v 

"No,  my  sympathies  are  French,"  was  the  reply. 

"Well,  if  you  call  this  doing  your  duty,"  said 
Chester,  sarcastically,  "let's  hope  you  don't  have 
too  many  duties  to  perform  in  the  service  of  France. 
For  if  you  do,  the  Germans  certainly  will  win." 

"Well,"  said  their  captor,  "I  guess  I  shall  have  to 
leave  you  now.     I  must  make  my  report." 

"Who  are  you  going  to  report  to?"  demanded 
Hal,  suddenly,  thinking  to  take  the  man  off  his 
guard. 

The  latter  only  grinned. 


146  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

*'Vm  too  old  a  bird  for  that  trick,"  he  said,  show- 
ing that  he  understood  what  had  been  in  Hal's 
mind.     "I'm  going  to  report  to  the  proper  person." 

"Improper  person,  I  guess  you  mean,"  Chester 
growled. 

"At  any  rate,  I  must  report,"  said  their  captor. 
"Now  if  you'll  promise  to  make  no  outcry  while 
I'm  gone,  I  will  not  have  the  gags  replaced  in  your 
mouths.    Otherwise,  I  am  afraid " 

He  closed  with  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders. 

"You  put  one  of  those  things  in  my  mouth  again, 
and  I'll  make  you  eat  it — some  day,"  said  Chester. 

"Not  for  some  time  to  come,  I'm  afraid,"  was 
the  little  man's  rejoinder.  "I  believe  I  can  guar- 
antee you  will  be  kept  out  of  mischief  for  the  dura- 
tion of  the  war." 

Hal  had  been  gazing  at  the  little  man  closely. 

"Seems  to  me,"  he  said  at  last,  "that  I  have  seen 
you  some  place  before.  There  is  something  familiar 
about  you." 

"You've  probably  seen  me,"  was  the  reply.  "I've 
been  around  here  for  some  time." 

Chester  was  now  struck  with  a  sudden  thought. 

"Is  Matin  mixed  up  in  this  thing?"  he  demanded, 
believing  that,  after  all,  the  capture  might  have  been 
concocted  by  the  French  soldier  who  had  sought  to 
kill  Hal. 

"Matin  ?    Who  is  Matin  ?"  asked  their  captor. 

Chester  explained. 


AT  VERDUN  147 

*'No,  he  has  nothing  to  do  with  it,"  was  the 
reply. 

"Then,  in  the  name  of  the  Great  Czar,  what's  it 
all  about?" 

"I  can't  tell  you,"  was  the  firm  reply. 

Chester  groaned. 

"Of  all  the  fool  predicaments,"  he  said,  "this  is 
the  worst." 

The  little  man  had  now  moved  toward  the  door 
of  the  tent. 

"I  go  now,"  he  said,  "to  make  my  report.  Pleas- 
ant dreams  to  you." 

"Hold  on  a  minute,"  shouted  Hal. 

"No ;  I  think  I  had  better  go.    Good-bye,  boys  I**" 

There  was  such  a  familiar  ring  to  these  words 
that  Hal  was  struck  with  a  great  light.  He  uttered 
a  loud  exclamation,  so  loud,  in  fact,  that  the  little 
man  came  running  back  in  the  tent. 

Even  Chester  was  surprised — but  for  a  moment 
only — for  the  words  that  escaped  Hal  were  these: 

"By  all  that's  holy !    H  it  isn't  Stubbs !" 


148  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XVHI 

STUBBS   REFUSES   TO   EXPLAIISr 

With  two  bounds  the  little  man  covered  the  dis- 
,nce  to  Hal's  side  and  bent  over.  Quickly  he 
placed  a  hand  across  Hal's  mouth  and  whispered : 

"Sh-h-h.    Not  so  loud!" 

Hal  shook  his  head  free — his  hands  were  tied — 
and  exclaimed : 

"So!  This  is  the  thanks  we  get  from  you,  eh! 
Why,  you  little  fat " 

"Names  won't  help  any,"  said  Anthony  Stubbs, 
quietly.  "I've  got  you  here  and,  as  I  told  you,  here 
you  are  going  to  stay  until  I  arrange  for  your  trans- 
portation back  to  the  good  old  town  where  stands 
the  Gazette" 

"New  York,  eh?"  said  Chester.  "But  why, 
Stubbs,  that's  what  I  want  to  know.  Come  on,  be 
a  good  fellow  and  tell  us  what  this  is  all  about." 

"If  I  wasn't  so  sure  you  know,  I  might  be  tempted 
to  do  so,"  said  Stubbs.  "But  you  do  know  and 
there  is  no  need  to  ask  me  again.    I  refuse." 

**But  I  tell  you,  Stubbs,  we  don't  know,"  declared 


AT  VERDUN  14)9 

Hal.  "What's  gone  wrong  with  you?  Are  you  in 
the  employ  of  the  Kaiser?" 

"Not  by  a  long  shot,"  was  the  answer.  "That's 
one  reason  I  want  to  get  you  away  from  here.  I 
want  to  see  the  Kaiser  licked  properly." 

"You  don't  mean  to  insinuate " 

"That  you  are  aiding  the  Kaiser  ?"  Stubbs  broke 
in.  "I  guess  not.  But  you  know  as  well  as  I  do  that 
with  you  here  something  is  sure  to  go  wrong.  No 
sir.  You've  got  to  go  back  to  the  old  U.  S.  A.  and 
you're  going  to  go  if  it  lies  in  my  power  to  get  you 
there." 

"By  Jove !"  said  Chester,  suddenly.  "I  know  the 
answer." 

"Well,  you're  a  good  guesser  if  you  do,"  said 
Hal,  dryly.    "Let's  hear  it." 

"Uncle  John  is  the  answer,"  declared  Chester. 
"In  some  manner  he  has  learned  we  are  here;  he 
has  come  up  from  Italy  and  bribed  Stubbs  to  get 
us  sent  home." 

"By  Jove !"  exclaimed  Hal.    "Is  that  it,  Stubbs?" 

Stubbs  grinned  at  them. 

"Come,"  he  said,  "I'm  too  old  to  be  fooled  with 
such  innocence  as  that.  You  know  what  you're 
here  for  and  ihat's  all  there  is  about  it.  Now  I'm 
going  to  arrange  for  your  removal." 

"Stubbs,"  said  Hal,  quietly,  "I  wonder  if  you 
could  guess  what  I  think  of  you?" 

"I'm  afraid  I  could,"  returned  the  little  man  ser- 


160  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

iously.  "But  now  let  me  ask  you  something.  Do 
you  remember,  not  so  many  nights  ago,  that  I  told 
you  both  that  if  ever  you  found  me  doing  some- 
thing you  didn't  approve  of,  I  would  be  doing  it 
for  your  own  good — because  I  am  fond  of  you? 
Do  you  rememlDer  that  ?" 

"You  bet  I  remember  it,"  declared  Hal ;  "and  all 
I've  got  to  say  is  that  if  you  call  this  thing  for  our 
own  good  you're  mightily  mistaken.  If  we  don't 
report  to  General  Petain  to-morrow  morning  we're 
likely  to  be  court  martialed." 

"Oh,  no,  you're  not,"  said  Stubbs. 

"Oh,  yes  we  are." 

"I  say  you're  not." 

"Say,"  said  Hal,  "you  talk  like  you  knew  some- 
thing about  it." 

"I  do,"  returned  Stubbs. 

"Well,  Stubbs,"  interposed  Chester,  "if  you  are 
bent  on  showing  your  fondness  for  us  in  this  man- 
ner all  right ;  but  I  want  to  say  that,  for  my  part, 
you  can  take  all  your  affection  and  go  hang  with 
it." 

"Same  here,"  growled  Hal. 

"I'm  sorry  you  feel  that  way  about  it,  boys/* 
said  Stubbs,  seriously,  "but  I  know  that  some  time 
you  will  forgive  me.  Of  course,  you  are  angry 
now  because  I  have  spoiled  your  plans,  but  some 
time  you  will  overlook  it." 

"But  where  do  you  come  in  for  all  this  fairy  god- 


AT  VERDUN  151 

father  stuff,  Stubbs?"  demanded  Chester.  "What 
iron  have  you  in  the  fire  ?  You've  got  some  reason 
besides  just  trying  to  keep  us  out  of  trouble,  now 
haven't  you?" 

"Why,  yes,  I  have,"  W3.s  Stubbs'  quiet  reply. 

"I  thought  so.  Would  you  mind  telling  me  what 
it  is?" 

"I've  already  told  you.  I  want  to  see  the  Kaiser 
properly  licked." 

Chester  was  about  to  make  an  angry  retort ;  then 
changed  his  mind  and  gave  a  snort  of  pure  disgust. 

"Stubbs,"  said  Hal,  "I  know  what  it's  all  about. 
If  I  ask  you  a  question  will  you  answer  it?" 

"Depends  on  the  question,"  was  the  reply.  "Let's 
hear  it." 

"Well,  here  it  is,  and  I  think  it's  the  answer  to 
the  whole  thing :  Are  you  crazy  ?" 

Stubbs  gave  a  snort. 

"Crazy!"  he  shouted.  "No,  I'm  not  crazy!  Who 
says  I'm  crazy?" 

"I  do,  Stubbs,"  declared  Hal. 

"And  I  agree  with  him,"  exclaimed  Chester. 

The  little  war  correspondent  became  suddenly 
very  angry.  He  stamped  up  and  down  the  tent  mut- 
tering to  himself.    Then  he  whirled  on  the  lads. 

"You  make  me  tired !"  he  exclaimed.  "Here  I've 
gone  and  got  myself  in  a  mess  just  to  keep  you  two 
out  of  trouble  and  what  thanks  do  I  get  for  it? 
, You  say  I'm  crazy !    Why,  you  ought  to  bow  down 


162  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

and  thank  me  for  doing  what  I  am  doing.  You 
both  make  me  sick." 

"Well,  we're  not  going  to  do  any  bowing  down 
to  you,  Stubbs,"  said  Hal;  "but  there  is  one  thing 
ril  promise  you." 

"What's  that?"  demanded  Stubbs,  eagerly. 

"That,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  said  Hal,  "is  a  good  first- 
class  thrashing  when  I  get  hold  of  you  again." 

"Guess  we  had  better  make  it  two,"  declared  Ches- 
ter.    "Remember  he's  got  me  here  with  you,  Hal." 

"All  right,  Chester.  We'll  make  it  a  double- 
handed  affair.     Hear  that,  Stubbs?" 

Stubbs  snapped  his  fingers  at  them. 

"You  can  do  what  you  please  when  you  get  free," 
he  declared.  "But  I'm  going  to  make  it  a  point 
to  see  that  you  don't  get  free  on  this  side  of  the 
English  Channel.     Now,  good-night." 

The  little  man  turned,  ordered  his  men  out  ahead 
of  him  and  disappeared  from  the  tent. 

For  some  moments  Hal  and  Chester  lay  silent 
without  a  word.    Then  Hal  said : 

"Chester,  if  you  can  tell  me  what's  at  the  bottom 
of  all  this,  I'll  give  you  a  million  dollars." 

"If  you  had  the  million,  Hal,  you'd  lose." 

"You  don't  mean  to  tell  me " 

"Of  course  I  know.  I  thought  you  did  by  this 
time.  There  are  two  things  at  the  bottom  of  this 
and  they  are — two  little  black  peas!" 

"Well,  by  Jove!"  said  Hal,  "and  to  think  I  didn't 


AT  VERDUN  153 

get  that  through  my  head  sooner.  Then  you  think 
these  peas " 

"Yes;  there  is  some  kind  of  a  conspiracy  brew- 
ing and  Stubbs  thinks  we  have  a  hand  in  it.  What- 
ever it  15,  he's  against  it.  You  remember  how  h« 
shut  up  in  the  middle  of  his  tale  that  night  when 
he  first  saw  the  peas  in  our  possession?" 

"By  Jove!    That's  so!" 

"Sure ;  but  have  you  any  idea  what  the  conspiracy 
may  be  ?" 

"Not  the  slightest;  but  if  we  can  get  out  of  here 
we'll  have  a  look.  We  know  one  of  the  band,  I 
think." 

"You  mean?" 

"Jules  Clemenceau.  I  don't  suppose  he  ever 
missed  the  two  peas.  He  probably  had  more.  At 
the  first  opportunity  we'll  display  our  peas  where 
he  can  see  them  and  then  maybe  he  will  say  some- 
thing that  will  tip  us  off  where  to  look  next." 

"Not  a  bad  idea ;  but  he  seems  to  be  so  young  to 
be  mixed  up  in  such  a  thing." 

"He's  no  younger  than  we  are;  and  we've  been 
mixed  up  in  a  whole  lot  of  things." 

"That's  so,  too.  I  would  like  to  know,  though, 
what  this  plot  is.  I  don't  believe  it  has  anything  to 
do  with  treachery." 

"Depends  upon  what  you  mean  by  treachery.  I 
suppose  you  mean  nothing  that  will  aid  the  Ger- 
mans to  defeat  us  ?" 


154f  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Exactly;  then,  too,  don't  you  remember,  when 
Stubbs  was  telling  us  about  the  conspiracy,  that  he 
said  he  had  reason  to  believe  there  were  plotters  in 
the  German  ranks  as  well  as  the  British  and 
French?" 

"He  didn't  say  it  just  that  way,  I  think,  but  I 
remember  what  you  mean.  By  Jove!  I  wonder 
what  it  can  all  be  about  ?" 

"Well,  it's  too  deep  for  me;  and  unless  some- 
thing happens,  I  am  half  afraid  Stubbs  may  be  as 
good  as  his  word  and  have  us  sent  back  to  New 
York." 

"By  George !    We  can't  stand  for  that." 

"I  should  say  not.  See  if  you  can  wiggle  your 
hands  loose." 

Hal  tried.     So  did  Chester. 

"They  did  a  pretty  fair  job,  if  you  ask  me,"  said 
the  latter. 

"I  should  say  they  did.  However,  we'll  keep  try- 
ing. Something  may  give.  Perseverance  is  a  great 
medicine,  you  know." 

And  they  did  keep  trying ;  but  here  was  one  place 
where  it  seemed  that  perseverance  was  about  to  fail. 
An  hour's  tugging  at  their  bonds  failed  to  loosen 
them  to  any  noticeable  degree. 

"I  guess  it's  no  use,  Chester,"  said  Hal. 

"I'm  not  having  much  luck,  either,"  was  Ches- 
ter's reply. 

They  took  a  brief  rest  and  then  fell  to  tugging 


AT  VERDUN  155 

at  their  bonds  again.     But  they  had  no  better  luck 
than  before. 

"Well,  it's  no  use,"  said  Chester  at  last.  "I'm 
going  to  sleep." 

Hal  was  also  forced  to  admit  that  he  was  unable 
to  loosen  his  own  bonds  and  he  followed  Chester's 
example  and  sought  repose. 

How  long  they  slept  neither  knew,  but  both  were 
awakened  by  a  hand  on  their  shoulders.  Looking 
up  in  the  darkness  the  lads  saw  a  form  bending  over 
them.     They  could  not  distinguish  the  features. 

"Hello !"  said  Hal,  in  a  whisper.  "We  have  com- 
pany, Chester." 

"So  we  have,"  was  the  latter's  reply.  "Wonder 
what  he  wants  ?" 

The  figure  in  the  darkness  explained  his  presence 
in  the  tent  in  a  few  words. 

"Come  with  me !"  he  whispered. 

"Can't.    We're  tied  up,"  said  Hal. 

"I  have  unloosened  your  bonds,"  said  the  voice  in 
a  whisper.    "Come,  and  make  no  noise." 

The  lads  found  that  their  deliverer  had  told  the 
truth.  They  were  no  longer  bound.  They  got  to 
their  feet  and  followed  him  from  the  tent.  They 
had  not  recognized  the  voice  that  had  called  them; 
but  as  they  passed  without,  Hal  caught  sight  of  the 
man's  features. 

"Jules  Clemenceau !"  he  exclaimed. 


166  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XIX 


THE    CONSPIRATORS 


Chester^  who  had  been  unable  to  catch  a  sight 
of  their  deliverer's  face,  was  surprised. 

"Great  Scott!  Jules,"  he  exclaimed.  "You  have 
a  knack  of  turning  up  in  the  nick  of  time." 

"Sh-h-h!"  whispered  Jules.  "No  talk  until  we 
get  away  from  here." 

The  others  obeyed  this  injunction  to  keep  silence 
and  followed  the  young  Frenchman  without  fur- 
ther words. 

Jules  approached  his  own  quarters  and  led  the 
way  inside. 

"Make  yourselves  at  home,"  he  said  with  a  wave 
of  his  hand.    "In  here  we  may  talk." 

Hal  and  Chester  found  seats  and  then  the  former 
asked  a  question. 

"How  did  you  happen  to  find  us,  Jules?" 

"I  chanced  to  be  near  when  the  stranger  showed 
you  his  pea,"  returned  Jules.  "I  knew  that  there 
had  been  no  summons  sent  out  for  an  immediate 
meeting  and  that  something  must  be  wrong.    There- 


AT  VERDUN  157 

fore,  I  followed  you.  Having  learned  where  you 
were  held  I  returned  later  to  release  you.  That's 
all." 

"Well,  we  certainly  thank  you,"  said  Chester. 
"There  is  no  telling  what  would  have  happened  to 
us." 

"I  was  never  more  surprised,"  said  Jules,  "than 
when  I  saw  you  both  exhibit  black  peas.  I  had  no 
idea  that  you  were  with  us." 

"Then  you,  too,"  said  Hal,  "are " 

"Yes,"  Jules  interrupted.  "I  am  one  of  you.  I 
suppose  you  have  received  the  summons  ?" 

"Summons?     What  summons?"  asked  Chester. 

"Why,  for  the  meeting  to-night,  or,  rather,  I 
should  say  in  the  morning," 

"No,  we  have  received  no  summons,"  said  Hal. 

"Then  it  is  twice  good  that  I  arrived,"  said  Jules. 
"You  shall  accompany  me." 

"And  where  is  the  rendezvous?"  asked  Chester. 

"I'll  show  you,"  said  Jules.  He  drew  his  watch 
from  his  pocket  and  glanced  at  it  in  the  semi-light 
of  the  tent.  "Twelve  fifteen,"  he  said.  "We  have 
forty-five  minutes  still,  but  it  will  do  no  harm  if  we 
are  a  few  minutes  early.     Come." 

He  picked  up  his  cap  from  the  cot  where  he  had 
thrown  it  and  led  the  way  from  the  tent.  Hal  and 
Chester  followed  without  a  word.  The  same 
thought  was  in  the  mind  of  each.  At  last  they 
would  be  able  to  learn  the  nature  of  the  conspiracy 


168  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

which,  although  they  knew  nothing  of  it,  had  caused 
them  so  much  trouble. 

After  a  walk  of  perhaps  twenty  minutes,  in  which 
time  they  had  not  been  challenged,  Jules  pulled  up 
before  a  tent  somewhat  larger  than  the  rest. 

"General  Pombrey's  quarters,"  he  said,  "and  for 
that  reason  comparatively  safe." 

"You  mean  that  the  general  is  one  of  us?"  de- 
manded Hal  in  no  little  surprise. 

"Yes,"  said  Jules,  briefly. 

Chester  gave  a  low  whistle.  Evidently  this  con- 
spiracy, whatever  it  might  be,  was  more  widespread 
than  he  had  imagined. 

Jules  entered  the  tent  and  the  two  lads  followed 
him. 

Inside  a  large  number  of  men  already  had  as- 
sembled. Apparently,  their  anticipation  had  been 
so  great  that  they  had  been  unable  to  control  their 
impatience  until  nearer  the  appointed  hour.  The 
lads  were  im.pressed  with  one  peculiar  feature.  Un- 
like most  plotters — and  Hal  and  Chester  already  had 
come  into  contact  with  many — these  men  wore  no 
masks.  Apparently,  they  were  not  afraid  of  their 
identities  being  known  by  their  fellow  conspirators. 

There  were  no  remarks  when  Jules  and  Hal  and 
Chester  entered  the  tent.  The  former  led  the  way 
to  the  far  side  and  there  stood  quietly  in  the  half 
light.  Hal  and  Chester  took  their  places  beside 
him. 


AT  VERDUN  159 

As  time  passed  other  men  appeared  in  the  tent 
and  Hal  and  Chester  were  surprised  to  see  that  some 
were  officers  of  high  rank ;  but  neither  lad  said  any- 
thing aloud. 

Came  the  voice  of  a  sentry  without: 

"One  o'clock  and  all's  well!" 

A  moment  later  the  apathy  that  had  gripped  the 
interior  of  the  tent  where  the  conspirators  were  as- 
sembled disappeared.  General  Pombrey  addressed 
the  others. 

"I  am  glad  to  see  so  many  of  you  here  to-night," 
he  said  earnestly.  "I  note  several  new  faces 
amongst  us  and  I  am  pleased  to  know  that  others 
are  joining  this  great  movement  every  day.  It 
shows  that  even  in  the  midst  of  this  warlike'^amp 
the  spirit  of  peace  has  not  died." 

His  words  were  greeted  with  a  murmur  of  ap- 
proval, though  no  man  spoke. 

The  general  continued : 

"Now,  I  have  to  inform  you  that  the  crisis  is 
near.  I  have  had  word  from  the  enemy's  lines  that 
the  spirit  of  peace  there  has  grown.  It  would  ap- 
pear that  we  are  on  the  eve  of  success.  Another  bat- 
tle or  two — a  few  thousand  more  lives  lost — and  this 
great  war  may  end.  When  the  spirit  of  peace  has 
overcome  the  spirit  of  war  in  the  ranks,  then  will 
the  war  end.  I  have  called  you  together  to-night 
to  instruct  you  to  sound  even  deeper  than  you  have 
done  the  sentiment  of  the  men  who  stand  by  your 


160  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

side.    The  time  to  stop  this  war  is  almost  at  hand.** 

Again  there  was  a  murmur  of  approval  as  the 
general  became  silent.  He  gazed  upon  the  faces 
about  him  a  few  moments  in  silence,  and  then  spoke 
again  : 

"I  need  not  caution  you  to  silence.  A  false  move 
and  all  would  be  lost.  But  if  we  can  command 
10,000  more  men  when  the  crisis  arrives,  men  who, 
like  the  rest  of  us,  will  refuse  to  fight  more  when 
the  word  is  given,  we  shall  be  strong  enough;  and 
if  I  told  you  how  many  already  are  pledged  you 
could  scarcely  believe  me.  Now  here,"  the  general 
exposed  to  view  a  large  box,  "I  have  many  more  of 
the  little  peas  that  are  our  bond  of  membership.  I 
want  each  of  you  to  take  as  many  as  you  please; 
and  pass  them  around  when  you  have  convinced 
yourselves  the  men  you  approach  are  acting  in  good 
faith." 

One  after  another  the  men  in  the  tent  stepped 
forward  and  dipped  a  hand  into  the  box  of  peas 
and  put  the  little  round  pellets  into  their  own  pock- 
ets. Then  the  general  signified  that  he  had  yet  a 
few  remarks  to  make.  The  men  stood  about  re- 
spectfull}'-  as  he  addressed  them. 

"Men,"  he  said,  "there  may  be  some  among  you 
who  question  the  justice  of  this  move.  To  those  I 
say  that  we  are  engaged  in  a  great  effort.  To  pre- 
vent further  war  and  bloodshed  among  ourselves 
and  our  enemies  is  a  great  duty;  for  nothing  can 


AT  VERDUN  161 

possibly  be  gained  by  the  loss  of  millions  of  lives 
and  the  destruction  of  billions  of  dollars  worth  of 
property.  However,  if  there  are  any  among  you 
who  would  draw  out  of  this  movement,  I  would  ask 
that  you  do  so  now." 

The  general  paused  and  looked  keenly  at  the  faces 
about  him.     No  man  spoke. 

"Good,"  said  the  general,  "then  I  know  you  are 
with  me." 

"And  the  time?  When  will  the  time  come?" 
asked  one  man  in  the  crowd. 

"That  I  cannot  say,"  responded  the  general, 
quietly.  "But  I  can  assure  you  that  it  will  be  before 
long.  You  will  all  be  notified  by  the  messengers, 
that  you  may  be  ready.  Now  are  there  any  other 
questions  ?" 

"If  we  fail,  then  what?"  asked  another  man. 

General  Pombrey  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Probably  courtmartial  and  a  firing  squad,"  he 
said  indifferently.  "But  you  will  have  died  in  a 
glorious  cause,  whereas  now " 

A  glimpse  of  happiness  stole  over  the  general's 
face.  To  Hal  and  Chester  it  meant  but  one  thing. 
General  Pombrey  was  a  fanatic;  and  the  men  who 
had  come  under  his  spell  were  fanatics.  In  that  in- 
stant Hal  and  Chester  both  realized  that  this  mat- 
ter must  be  brought  to  General  Petain  immediately. 

After  some  few  other  words,  General  Pombrey 
signified  that  the  meeting  was  over,  and  the  men  filed 


162  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

from  the  tent  singly  and  in  pairs,  discussing  the 
matter  in  low  tones. 

Outside  Hal  and  Chester  were  accosted  again  by 
Jules  Clemenceau. 

"And  what  do  you  think  of  General  Pombrey?" 
asked  the  young  Frenchman,  his  face  shining. 

For  a  moment  Hal  considered  what  was  best  to 
say.  Should  he  try  and  convince  Jules  that  his 
presea*  course  was  wrong;  that  there  was  to  be 
cc?:^dered  the  honor  of  his  country  rather  than  the 
opinion  of  General  Pombrey?  The  lad  decided  on 
the  side  of  caution. 

"A  good  man,"  he  replied  quietly.  "A  man  who 
will  face  a  firing  squad  without  a  tremor,  secure  in 
the  belief  he  is  dying  for  a  good  cause." 

"And  do  you  not  think  the  cause  good,  and  just?" 
demanded  Jules,  anxiously. 

"If  not,  why  should  I  be  the  bearer  of  a  pocket- 
full  of  black  peas?"  was  Hal's  reply. 

Jules,  apparently,  was  satisfied. 

Alone  in  their  own  quarters  later  Hal  and  Ches- 
ter discussed  the  situation  seriously. 

"To  tell  the  truth,"  said  Chester,  "I  am  half  in- 
clined to  agree  with  General  Pombrey.  But  if  for 
no  other  reason,  there  is  one  thing  that  would  make 
me  reveal  this  plot  to  General  Petain." 

"And  that?"  asked  Plal. 

"That,"  said  Chester,  "is  the  fact  that  General 
Pombrey  and  the  others  engaged  in  this  conspiracy 


AT  VERDUN  163 

are  lacking  upon  the  German-  troops  to  throw  down 
their  arms  and  refuse  to  fight  at  the  same  moment 
the  French  and  British  do." 

"Well  ?"  asked  Hal,  but  he  was  beginning  to  catch 
Chester's  drift. 

"Well,"  said  Chester,  "you  and  I  know  the  Ger- 
mans won't  do  that.  It's  a  ten  to  one  bet  that  the 
German  general  staff  knows  all  about  this  con- 
spiracy. The  peace  talk  has  been  carried  from  one 
army  to  the  other  by  the  prisoners.  The  Germans 
will  take  advantage  of  it.  Should  the  French  really 
follow  General  Pombrey's  plan,  they  would  be 
slaughtered  by  the  thousands.  The  Germans  could 
not  keep  faith.    You  know  that." 

"Yes,  I  know  it,"  said  Hal  with  a  nod  of  his  head, 
head.  "They  have  never  kept  faith  in  this  war, 
save  in  individual  cases.  It  doesn't  seem  to  be  in 
them." 

"Exactly,"  agreed  Chester.  "Then,  if  for  no 
other  reason  than  to  save  these  deluded  French  and 
British  soldiers,  the  matter  must  be  brought  to  the 
attention  of  General  Petain,  that  he  may  act 
promptly  and  not  only  save  them,  but  the  whole 
army  of  France ;  and  the  cause  of  the  Allies." 

"Good!"  Hal  agreed.  ''Then  we  shall  see  that 
it's  brought  to  his  attention." 

"The  first  thing  in  the  morning,"  said  Chester. 

"Right  you  are,  Chester.  The  first  thing  in  the 
morning." 


164  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XX 


UNDER   ARREST 


It  was  morning.  Hal  and  Chester,  refreshed  by 
a  good  night's  rest,  had  just  completed  their  toilets 
and  were  about  to  repair  to  the  quarters  of  General 
Petain,  there  to  report  for  the  day's  duty  and  also 
to  inform  the  French  commander  of  v.hat  they  had 
learned  the  night  before.  But,  as  it  transpired,  their 
good  intentions  were  to  go  for  naught  and  they  were 
to  be  ushered  into  the  presence  of  General  Petain  in 
a  manner  that  neither  would  have  believed  possible. 

Came  the  sound  of  many  footsteps  approaching 
without.  They  stopped  before  the  boys'  tent.  A 
French  officer  thrust  his  head  in  the  entrance,    r 

"Lieutenant  Crawford!  Lieutenant  Paine!"  he 
said  sharply. 

"Sir !"  exclaimed  both  lads  in  a  single  breath. 

They  stepped  from  the  tent. 

"You  are  under  arrest!"  were  the  French  officer's 
next  words. 

Hal  and  Chester  stepped  back  in  complete  be- 
wilderment. 


AT  VERDUN  165 

"Wha — what's  that,  sir?"  asked  Hal,  believing 
that  he  could  not  have  heard  aright. 

"You  are  under  arrest,"  was  the  sharp  reply.  "I 
am  ordered  to  conduct  you  before  General  Petain 
at  once." 

Both  lads  had  recovered  themselves  by  this  time ; 
they  stepped  forward  coolly  enough,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  their  hearts  were  fluttering  strangely. 

"The  general  might  have  spared  himself  the 
trouble  of  sending  for  us,"  said  Hal,  quietly.  "Even 
now  we  were  about  to  report  to  him."  ^ 

The  French  officer  said  nothing.  He  motioned  to 
the  file  of  soldiers  whom  he  commanded  and  Hal 
and  Chester  stepped  in  between  the  men. 

"One  moment,"  said  the  French  soldier. 

He  approached  the  lads. 

"I  must  ask  for  your  swords  and  revolvers,"  he 
said. 

Without  a  word  the  lads  surrendered  their  weap- 
ons. 

"Good!"  said  the  French  officer.  Then  to  his 
men :  "Forward,  march !" 

And  in  this  manner  Hal  and  Chester  came  before 
the  French  commander  at  Verdun.  The  latter  v/as 
busy  with  a  pile  of  papers  when  they  entered  his 
quarters  and  did  not  look  up  immediately.  For  per- 
haps fifteen  minutes  the  lads  stood  there,  firmly 
*rect,  their  eyes  upon  the  general. 

Suddenly  General  Petain  wheeled  about. 


166  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Leave  these  men  with  me,"  he  instructed  the 
French  officer  who  had  escorted  the  lads  to  his  tent ; 
"but  attend  me  outside  within  call,  Captain." 

The  French  officer  saluted  and  withdrew. 

General  Petain  gazed  frowningly  at  Hal  and 
Chester  for  perhaps  a  full  minute.  The  lads  re- 
turned his  look  without  flinching,  though  there  was 
nothing  that  might  be  construed  as  defiance  in  their 
manner ;  rather,  nothing  but  respectful  attention. 

"So!"  said  General  Petain  at  last.  "So!  I  find 
you  two  lads,  whom  I  have  trusted,  among  a  band 
of  conspirators,  eh?" 

"Among  them,  sir,"  said  Hal,  quietly,  "but  not  of 
them." 

"What's  that  ?"  demanded  the  general.  "You  ad- 
mit you  were  with  them  and  then  claim  innocence  ? 
Impossible !"  r 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  said  Hal,  "but  it  is  not 
impossible.     It  is  the  truth." 

"But  I  have  it  on  high  authority,"  returned  the 
general,  "that  you  have  been  the  possessors  of  the 
emblem  of  the  conspirators  for  some  days  now." 

"That  is  true  enough,  sir,"  Hal  agreed;  "but  we 
came  into  the  possession  of  those  black  peas  acci- 
dentally and  with  no  thought  of  their  significance." 

The  general  sniffed  contemptuously. 

"My  information  regarding  you  boys  comes  from 
a  source  that  I  am  afraid  I  must  believe,"  he 
said. 


AT  VERDUN  16r 

"Will  you  tell  us  the  source,  sir?"  asked  Hal. 

General  Petain  shook  his  head. 

"It  would  do  no  good,"  he  returned.  "It  would 
not  alter  the  facts  in  the  case.  Now,  I  know  you 
boys  have  been  of  great  value  to  the  cause  of  the 
Allies.  My  informant  is  authority  for  that  state- 
ment also.  You  have  accomplished  much  and 
France  and  the  other  allied  countries  must  thank 
you.  But  it  appears  now  that  you  have  been  led 
from  the  proper  way  of  thinking;  and  my  inform- 
ant in  your  case  says,  and  rightly,  that  from  young 
men  who  have  done  much  to  advance  the  cause  of 
the  Allies,  there  is  much  to  be  feared  when  they 
embark  upon  some  other  venture.  r 

"You  are  both  resourceful;  I  know  that.  That 
is  the  reason  that  I  have  had  you  placed  under  ar- 
rest— that  you  may  not  turn  your  energies  against 
us.  I  shall  have  you  sent  to  Paris,  thence  to  Lon- 
don, and  I  hope  that  before  long  you  will  be  back 
in  your  own  country,  the  United  States." 

"Pardon  me,  sir,"  said  Hal,  respectfully,  "but  I 
do  not  need  to  ask  you  again  to  name  the  man  who 
has  caused  us  to  be  in  this  predicament.  His  name 
is  Stubbs." 

"Well,  I  see  no  need  to  deny  it,"  said  General 
Petain. 

"General,"  said  Chester,  now  stepping  forward, 
"I  would  be  glad  if  you  would  give  me  an  oppor- 
tunity to  explain  this  matter." 


168  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"It  shall  not  be  said  that  I  denied  any  man  a 
hearing,"  was  tlie  general's  reply.     "Proceed." 

As  briefly  as  possible  Chester  recounted  the  man- 
ner in  which  they  had  come  into  possession  of  the 
two  peas ;  of  why  they  decided  to  keep  them ;  of 
their  capture  the  night  before  by  Anthony  Stubbs 
and  of  their  escape ;  and  last,  of  their  attendance  at 
the  meeting  of  the  conspirators,  where,  for  the  first 
time,  they  learned  the  true  significance  of  the  little 
black  peas. 

As  Chester  proceeded  with  his  story  the  general 
listened  attentively.  When  Chester  spoke  of  being 
captured  by  Stubbs,  the  general  smiled  quietly,  and 
Hal,  noting  the  smile,  guessed  rightly  that  General 
Petain  had  had  a  hand  in  the  capture  himself — or 
rather,  that  he  at  least  had  sanctioned  it ;  and  when 
Chester  spoke  of  the  meeting  of  the  conspirators 
and  mentioned  the  name  of  General  Pombrey,  Gen- 
eral Petain  frowned. 

"So,"  he  said  when  Chester  had  concluded,  "Gen- 
eral Pombrey  is  mixed  up  in  this  thing,  eh  ?" 

"He  seems  to  be  the  leader  of  the  movement,  sir," 
replied  Chester.  "I  should  say  that  he  is  without 
doubt  the  directing  hand." 

"And  what  do  you  hope  to  gain  by  telling  m-^  ell 
this?"  asked  General  Petain,  eyeing  the  lad 
shrewdly. 

"I  hope  to  see  the  conspiracy  crushed,  sir,  before 
it  gains  further  momentum,"  was  Chester's  reply. 


AT  VERDUN  169 

General  Petain  eyed  the  lad  peculiarly, 

"Can  it  be  that  I  have  been  misinformed  ?"  he  mut- 
tered to  himself. 

Hal's  keen  ears  caught  the  words. 

"I  can  assure  you  that  you  have  been  misin- 
formed, sir,"  he  replied  firmly. 

For  several  moments  more  the  general  eyed  the 
lads  sternly  and  they  returned  his  gaze  without 
flinching.  Suddenly  the  general  clapped  his  hands 
together.  The  French  officer  who  had  arrested  the 
two  lads  entered  the  tent  and  saluted, 

"Captain,"  said  General  Petain.  "my  compli- 
ments to  Mr.  Anthony  Stubbs  and  say  that  I  desire 
his  presence  here  at  once." 

The  French  officer  saluted  and  took  his  depart- 
ure. 

The  hearts  of  the  two  lads  beat  high  now.  Ap- 
parently General  Petain  had  been  convinced  of  the 
truth  of  their  stories.  They  believed  that  when 
Stubbs  confronted  them  he  would  weaken. 

"I  don't  know  what  to  think  about  this  matter," 
said  General  Petain  as  they  waited  for  Stubbs'  ar- 
rival. "I  am  loath  to  believe  you  would  be  mixed 
up  in  anything  of  this  nature." 

"How  did  Mr.  Stubbs  happen  to  mention  us  as 
being  implicated  in  this  conspiracy,  sir?"  asked 
Chester. 

"He  said  he  wanted  to  see  you  get  home  safely 
ziid  not  be  mixed  up  in  anything  that  might  mean  a 


170  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

firing  squad,"  said  General  Petain,  calmly.  "I  prom- 
ised him  your  safe  return  to  America  for  his  news 
of  the  conspiracy." 

"I  see,"  said  Chester. 

At  this  moment  Stubbs  was  announced.  Gen- 
eral Petain  looked  at  him  sharply. 

"These  officers,"  he  said,  indicating  Hal  and  Ches- 
ter with  a  wave  of  his  hand,  "deny  the  charges  you 
have  made  against  them,  sir." 

"Surely,  you  didn't  expect  them  to  admit  it,  sir  ?" 
questioned  Stubbs,  shifting  from  one  foot  to  an- 
other, as  Hal  and  Chester  bent  their  gaze  on  him. 

"Well,  no,  I  didn't,"  was  General  Petain's  reply, 
"but  they  tell  such  a  straightforv/ard  story  that  I 
am  of  the  opinion  you  must  be  mistaken  as  to  their 
part  in  this  conspiracy." 

"But  the  peas,"  said  Stubbs.     "They  had  them." 

"Well,  somebody  might  have  slipped  one  into  your 
pocket,  as  far  as  that  goes,"  said  General  Petain; 
"and  then  you  might  be  standing  here  under  sus- 
picion." 

"Tha — that's  so,  too,"  Stubbs  stammered.  "I 
hadn't  thought  of  that." 

"Well,  you  should  have  thought  of  it,"  exclaimed 
General  Petain.  "It's  no  small  thing  to  cast  sus- 
picion upon  a  man  and  then  be  able  to  prove  noth- 
mg. 

"But  the  peas " 

"Never  mind  about  the  peas,"  stormed  the  gen- 


AT  VERDUN  171 

eral.  "By  any  chance,  when  you  had  these  officers 
in  your  tent  last  night,  did  they  admit  connection 
with  the  plot?" 

"No,  sir ;  they  professed  ignorance.  But  they  had 
the  peas " 

"Mon  Dieu!  Can't  you  think  of  anything  but 
peas?  What  kind  of  a  war  correspondent  are  you, 
anyhow  ?" 

Stubbs  was  offended.  He  drew  himself  up  and 
would  have  made  reply,  but  General  Petain  silenced 
him  with  a  gesture. 

"I  don't  question  your  loyalty,"  he  said,  "and  I 
know  that  you  acted  with  the  good  of  these  lads  at 
heart.  But  I  am  convinced  you  have  been  mistaken. 
I  am  going  to  release  these  boys.  Lieutenant  Paine! 
Lieutenant  Crawford !  you  are " 

"Sir !"  exclaimed  Stubbs  at  this  juncture. 

The  general  eyed  him  closely. 

"Well?"  he  demanded. 

"Please,  General,  do  not  let  them  go  until  I  have 
a  few  moments'  start.  I  don't  know  what  they  will 
do  to  me."     Stubbs  looked  nervous. 

"Very  well,"  said  General  Petain  with  a  smile. 
"Then  hurry  and  take  your  departure,  Mr.  Stubbs." 

Stubbs  needed  no  urging  and  he  disappeared  from 
the  general's  tent  with  agiHty;  and  Hal  called  after 
him: 

"Better  hunt  a  hole,  Mr.  Stubbs ;  we'll  be  on  your 
trail  in  a  few  minutes !" 


172  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE   TURNING   OF   THE   TIDE 

In  the  days  immediately  following  their  inter- 
view with  General  Petain,  the  lads  saw  much  fight- 
ing; and  with  the  close  of  each  day  there  came  bit- 
terness to  them,  to  the  French  troops,  their  officers 
and  to  the  people  of  France  and  of  all  the  alHed 
nations. 

For  the  armies  of  the  German  Crown  Prince  con- 
tinued to  advance  steadily  in  spite  of  the  heroic  re- 
sistance of  the  French ;  and  it  began  to  appear  that 
the  "Gateway  to  France"  must  ere  long  fall  into 
alien  hands. 

Day  after  day  the  Germans  hurled  themselves  for- 
ward in  herculean  efforts  to  break  the  French  lines ; 
and  most  every  day  found  them  fighting  a  little 
nearer  to  Verdun,  In  vain  the  French  attempted 
to  stem  the  onslaught  of  the  invading  forces;  the 
Germans  were  not  to  be  denied. 

On  the  days  when  the  fiercest  of  the  German  as- 
saults were  made,  it  was  learned  that  the  Emperor 
of  Germany  had  directed  the  assaults  in  person. 


AT  VERDUN  173 

From  the  top  of  a  small  hill,  surrounded  by  his  staff, 
the  Kaiser  looked  down  upon  the  battlefield  for  days 
at  a  time,  showing  no  signs  of  emotion  as  his  coun- 
trymen fell  right  and  left,  that  the  German  flag 
might  be  planted  a  few  yards — sometimes  only  a 
few  feet — farther  westward. 

While  the  German  losses  were  something  terrible 
in  this  continuous  fighting,  the  French  suffered  un- 
told hardships.  The  effect  of  the  great  German 
shells,  which  fell  within  the  French  lines  almost  in- 
cessantly, was  tremendous.  It  did  not  seem  that 
flesh  and  blood  could  survive  their  deadly  effect — 
and  yet  the  French  fought  back  gamely. 

At  last  the  Germans  reached  a  point  only  three 
miles  and  a  half  from  the  city  of  Verdun  itself. 

Then  began  the  fiercest  of  the  fighting. 

After  having  been  pushed  back  many  miles  by  the 
German  hordes,  the  French  now  braced  suddenly 
and  gave  as  good  as  they  received.  Instead  of  wait- 
ing for  the  German  attacks,  General  Petain  launched 
offensives  of  his  own.  At  first  these  broke  down 
easily  under  the  German  shells,  but  as  they  contin- 
ued, the  drives  began  to  meet  with  more  and  more 
success.  It  became  apparent  that  at  this  point  the 
advantage  usually  rested  with  the  attacking  party. 

Battles — or  what  would  have  been  called  battles 
in  any  other  war  of  history,  but  now,  in  the  official 
reports  were  merely  referred  to  as  skirmishes — 
raged  f':»r  hours  at  a  stretch,  some  of  the  most  im- 


ri4  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

portant  continuing  for  days,  first  with  advantage  to 
one  side  and  then  to  the  other. 

In  vain  the  German  Crown  Prince  hurled  his  men 
forward  to  pierce  the  French  hnes  that  now  sepa- 
rated him  from  Verdun,  less  than  four  miles  away. 

While  the  German  guns  still  continued  to  shell 
the  city  and  the  fortifications,  there  was  little  they 
could  accomplish  now.  All  walls  and  houses  in  the 
path  of  the  great  guns  had  crumbled  under  their  ter- 
rible fire  days  ago;  there  was  nothing  left  to  de- 
stroy, except  at  intervals  where  a  small  fort  still 
stood  and  breathed  defiance  to  the  enemy. 

But  the  German  guns  served  one  purpose.  They 
afforded  protection  for  the  infantry  as  it  advanced 
to  the  attack.  Only  when  the  Germans  advanced 
close  enough  to  come  to  hand  grips  with  the  French 
did  the  big  guns  become  silent. 

But  now  came  the  turning  of  the  tide. 

From  far  back  the  French  threw  out  reinforce- 
ments to  the  hard  pressed  men  in  front.  Huge  new 
field  guns  were  brought  up.  Great  masses  of  am- 
munition, which  the  French  had  been  storing  up  for 
just  such  a  chance,  were  rushed  to  the  front.  Soon 
the  French  guns  were  speaking  as  loudly  and  as 
often  as  the  great  German  42-centimetres  them- 
selves. 

The  first  work  of  the  new  French  offensive  was 
to  clear  the  Germans  from  Dead  Man's  Hill,  Hill 
No.  320  and  Hill  No.  304.     These  battles,  among 


AT  VERDUN  175 

the  fiercest  of  all  history,  however,  were  really  little 
more  than  skirmishes,  when  the  entire  movement 
was  taken  into  consideration.  Terrible  though  they 
were,  after  all  they  were  nothing  more  than  small 
parts  of  the  great  battle  of  Verdun  itself. 

From  Dead  Man's  Hill  and  the  other  two  eleva- 
tions captured  by  the  French,  the  Germans  now 
were  pushed  clear  back  to  the  banks  of  the  river 
Meuse;  and  then  they  were  driven  beyond,  Thiau- 
mont  farm,  where  Hal  and  Chester  had  seen  hard 
fighting,  came  once  more  beneath  the  French  tri- 
color ;  and  the  German  eagle  went  back  farther  still. 

There  was  little  or  no  rest  for  the  men  in  the 
trenches  on  either  side.  Out  would  rush  the  Ger- 
mans from  their  trenches  in  a  grand  attack  upon  the 
trenches  of  the  French.  Hand-to-hand  fighting 
would  ensue.  Perhaps  the  Germans  would  be  driven 
back.  If  they  were  they  would  make  a  new  effort 
an  hour  or  so  later. 

Perhaps  the  French  would  give  way  and  the  Ger- 
mans would  occupy  the  trenches.  A  short  time  later 
the  French  would  re-form  under  the  very  rifles  of 
the  enemy,  and,  by  a  grand  charge,  oust  the  Germans 
from  their  newly  won  positions.  Then  came  the 
work  of  concentrating  and  fortifying  the  trenches 
all  over  again. 

It  was  terrible  work,  these  days  before  Verdun. 

Hal  and  Chester  played  no  small  part  in  the  ad' 
vance  of  the  French  army.     More  than  once  the;9; 


176  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

were  despatched  upon  important  missions ;  and  their 
fortune  had  been  of  the  best.  Not  once  had  they 
failed  to  accompHsh  a  piece  of  work  entrusted  to 
them.  General  Petain  began  to  look  upon  them  as 
among  his  best  men.  Many  a  piece  of  work  that,  a 
month  before,  he  would  have  entrusted  to  an  older 
head  now  fell  to  the  lot  of  either  Hal  or  Chester; 
and  the  boys  did  not  complain.  In  fact,  the  more 
they  had  to  do  the  better  they  liked  it. 

Nor,  for  the  matter  of  that,  was  there  complaint 
from  any  of  the  men  in  the  French  army,  officers 
or  men.  They  stood  to  their  work  bravely  and 
never  flinched  under  fire.  Nor  did  they  protest 
when  they  were  forced  to  go  for  long  hours  with- 
out sleep,  other  than  that  they  could  catch  between 
the  battles  that  raged  almost  incessantly  and  seemed 
to  be  nothing  less  than  one  continuous  struggle. 

Now  came  the  day  when  the  Germans  had  been 
pushed  far  east  of  the  Meuse.  For  the  moment  the 
French,  flushed  with  victory,  paused  for  a  breath- 
ing spell.  It  had  been  work  well  done,  in  the  days 
that  had  just  passed,  and  men  and  officers  alike  real- 
ized it.  Preparing  their  lines  against  attacks,  under 
the  command  of  General  Petain,  the  French  paused 
for  breath. 

The  German  Crown  Prince,  realizing  the  cause 
of  this  lull  by  the  French,  thought  to  take  advantage 
of  the  foe,  and  launched  assault  after  assault;  but, 
tired  out  as  the  French  were,  there  was  still  energy 


AT  VERDUN  177 

and  courage  enough  among  them  to  resist  success- 
fully the  fierce  charges  of  the  foe. 

And  after  awhile  the  Crown  Prince  gave  up  these 
attacks,  realizing  that  he  could  not  hope,  at  that  mo- 
ment, to  penetrate  the  French  positions,  and,  for 
once,  doing  away  with  the  needless  sacrilEice  of  men. 

Upon  an  afternoon  when  the  battle  of  Verdun 
was  a  little  more  than  three  months  old,  Hal  and 
Chester  were  summoned  to  the  quarters  of  General 
Petain.  They  went  eagerly,  for  they  reahzed  that 
there  was  important  work  ahead. 

"Boys,"  said  General  Petain,  for  thus  he  had 
come  to  address  them  when  alone,  after  the  official 
salutes  had  been  returned,  "I  have  here  a  piece  of 
work,  that,  because  of  the  danger  attached,  I  hesi- 
tate to  select  a  man,  or  men,  to  perform." 

Hal  and  Chester  both  smiled. 

"And  you  want  to  give  us  the  first  chance  at  it, 
sir?"  said  Hal. 

"Yes ;  I  know  that  if  you  accept  the  mission  it  is 
more  certain  of  success  than  if  I  entrusted  it  to 
other  hands." 

"We  shall  be  glad  of  the  chance,  sir,"  said  Ches- 
ter, quietly. 

General  Petain  clapped  his  hands  in  satisfaction. 

"I  knew  it,"  he  said,  "and  yet  I  did  not  like  to 
order  you  to  perform  it.    You  boys  are  true  blue." 

Both  lads  flushed  with  pleasure  at  this  remark, 
but  they  made  no  reply.    They  stood  quietly  waiting 


178  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

until  the  general  should  tell  them  what  was  required. 

"Boys,"  said  the  general,  "it  is  absolutely  essen- 
tial to  the  success  of  this  campaign  that  I  have  a 
more  accurate  knowledge  of  the  enemy's  lines  and 
strength.  My  aviators  have  been  sent  in  search  of 
such  information,  but  they  have  met  with  little  suc- 
cess. The  only  man  who  got  close  enough  to  learn 
what  I  am  after,  according  to  others  who  followed 
him,  was  shot  down.  He  failed  to  return.  What 
he  learned,  of  course,  I  do  not  know.  But  it  is  that 
which  I  must  know.  Do  you  think  you  can  gain 
this  information  for  me?" 

"We  can  at  least  have  a  try  at  it,"  said  Chester, 
with  a  smile. 

"We'll  get  it  if  it  is  humanly  possible,"  agreed 
Hal. 

"I  am  more  confident  of  success  than  I  would  be 
if  the  mission  were  in  other  hands,"  said  General 
Petain,  quietly. 

"And  when  do  you  wish  us  to  start,  sir?"  asked 
Hal. 

"Immediately,"  was  the  reply,  "though  I  believe 
it  would  be  better  to  wait  until  dark." 

"And  you  would  suggest  an  aeroplane?"  asked 
Hal. 

"I  leave  the  means  to  you,"  returned  the  general. 
"I'll  give  you  a  written  order  that  will  put  anything 
in  the  French  lines  at  your  disposal,  aeroplane,  auto- 
mobile or  horses.    You  may  take  your  choice." 


AT  VERDUN  179 

The  general  turned  to  his  desk  and  scribbled  on  a 
piece  of  paper.  To  what  he  had  written  he  affixed 
his  signature  and  then  passed  the  paper  to  Hal. 

"I  have  no  further  instructions,"  he  said.  "But, 
be  as  quick  as  you  can,  and  be  careful." 

He  arose  and  extended  a  hand  to  each  lad.  He 
had  come  to  be  very  fond  of  them,  and  he  patted 
each  on  the  back  affectionately. 

"May  good  fortune  attend  you,"  he  said  quietly. 

The  lads  drew  themselves  up,  saluted  and  left 
the  tent.  The  general  stepped  to  the  door  and  gazed 
after  them. 

"Good  boys,  those,"  he  said  quietly  to  iiimself. 
"May  they  return  safely !" 


180  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XXn 

THE   PARTY   IS   INCREASED 

**I  GUESS  an  aeroplane  is  the  best  way  after  all," 
said  Hal,  when  they  were  back  in  their  own  quar- 
ters. 

"Sure,"  Chester  agreed.  "It's  swifter,  and  if  we 
have  any  luck  at  all,  it's  a  pretty  good  contraption 
to  get  away  in  after  we  have  gained  our  information. 
Now  about  clothes.  Shall  we  keep  on  these  uni- 
forms?" 

"What  would  you  suggest?" 

"Well,  I  don't  know.  Thought  maybe  we  would 
take  some  German  clothes  along."  ; 

"Might  not  he  a  bad  idea,  though  we  won't  put 
them  on  unless  we  have  to.  I  don't  want  to  be  shot 
as  a  spy  if  I  can  help  it." 

"Nor  I.  Don't  suppose  there  would  be  any  use 
in  taking  civilian  costumes  ?" 

"I  don't  know.  Guess  it  wouldn't  do  any  harm, 
though.  The  more  clothes  the  better.  We  may  need 
a  change  of  costume  most  any  time." 

"All  right.  We'll  load  up,  if  we  can  find  what  we 
want." 


AT  VERDUN  181 

"I  guess  there  won't  be  any  trouble  about  that.** 

The  lad  was  right.  Soon  they  had  a  large  army 
plane  at  their  disposi^I  and  had  stocked  it  with  all 
they  thought  they  would  need  in  the  way  of  cloth- 
ing and  food.  Then  they  returned  to  their  own 
quarters.    Hal  glanced  at  his  watch, 

"Only  five  o'clock,"  he  said.  "We've  a  good  three 
hours  yet.  We  don't  want  to  go  up  until  well  after 
dark.    Let's  go  out  and  have  a  look  around." 

Chester  was  agreeable  and  they  made  their  way 
from  the  tent.  They  had  walked  about  for  prob- 
ably an  hour,  when  suddenly  Hal  took  Chester  by 
the  coat  sleeve. 

"Look  there!"  he  exclaimed. 

Chester  looked;  and  there,  perhaps  fifty  yards 
away,  was  Anthony  Stubbs,  slinking  along,  now 
and  then  casting  an  eye  at  Hal  and  Chester. 

"He's  seen  us,"  said  Chester.  "Let's  have  a  little 
talk  with  him.     Maybe  we  can  have  some  fun." 

It  was  the  first  time  they  had  seen  the  little  war 
correspondent  since  the  talk  in  General  Petain's  tent 
more  than  tvv^o  months  before. 

"Come  on,  then,"  said  Hal. 

They  increased  their  stride;  but  Stubbs,  with  a 
quick  glance  over  his  shoulder,  observed  this  and 
also  increased  his  pace. 

"He  doesn't  want  to  see  us,  Hal,"  said  Chester^ 
with  a  grin. 

"I  see  he  doesn't,"  Hal  grinned  back.    "Well,  we 


182  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

want  to  see  him."  He  raised  his  voice  in  a  shout. 
"Hey,  there,  Stubbs!" 

The  httle  man  glanced  quickly  back  over  his  shoul- 
der .  Then,  seeing  that  Hal  and  Chester  were  gain- 
ing on  him,  he  broke  into  a  run. 

"After  him,  Hal!"  cried  Chester,  and  also  broke 
into  a  run. 

Hal  followed  suit. 

Around  turn  after  turn  they  darted  after  the  lit- 
tle man,  who  was  making  the  best  time  his  short 
legs  would  permit.  At  a  word  from  Hal,  Chester 
slowed  down,  for  they  didn't  want  to  catch  Stubbs 
too  easily, 

"Let  him  run  himself  out,"  Hal  said. 

And  that  was  what  the  little  man  was  doing.  His 
tongue  was  literally  hanging  out  as  Hal  and  Ches- 
ter continued  to  gain  slowly.  He  was  puffing  like 
a  locomotive  and  his  arms  were  working  like  pistons. 
Once  or  twice  he  staggered  and  it  seemed  to  him 
that  he  could  not  run  another  step.  But  he  set  his 
teeth  and  plodded  on. 

"I've  got  to  get  away,"  he  told  himself.  "There 
is  no  knowing  what  these  young  ruffians  will  do  to 
me. 

In  vain  he  tried  to  increase  his  pace.  It  could 
not  be  done.  Every  step  cost  him  an  effort  and  it 
seemed  that  he  could  not  take  another.  He  waddled 
crazily  from  one  side  to  the  other;  and  at  last  he 
came  to  a  stop,  and  with  what  strength  remained. 


AT  VERDUN  183 

he  faced  his  pursuers  and  threw  up  his  hands  in  an 
attitude  of  defense. 

At  arm's  length,  Hal  and  Chester  came  to  a 
pause. 

"So  we  have  you  at  last,  eh !"  said  the  former. 

"You — you  keep  a-away  from  me,"  gasped 
Stubbs,  panting  for  breath.  "I  don't  want  to  have 
any  tro — trouble  with  you." 

"Perhaps  not,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  said  Chester,  "but 
we  want  to  have  a  little  trouble  with  you." 

"Let  me  a-alone,"  gasped  Stubbs. 

Hal  moved  a  step  closer. 

"Remember  what  you  did  to  us?"  he  asked. 

Stubbs  stepped  backward  quickly. 

"Don't  you  come  any  closer,"  he  gasped.  "Let 
me  alone." 

"Had  us  tied  up,  didn't  you,  Stubbs?"  demanded 
Chester. 

"Yes;  but  it  was  for  your  own  good!"  Stubbs 
had  regained  his  wind  now. 

"For  our  own  good,  eh?  Well,  we  have  come 
after  you  for  your  own  good." 

"What  have  you  got  to  say  for  yourself,  Stubbs?" 
demanded  Hal. 

"Nothing,"  snapped  the  little  man  angrily,  "ex- 
cept that  I  want  to  be  let  alone.  You  hoodwinked 
the  general,  all  right,  but  you  can't  hoodwink  me. 
Now  go  on  away  from  here." 

Again  Chester  stepped  forward,  and  this  time  the 


184  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

lad  was  treated  to  an  unpleasant  surprise.  Instead 
of  moving  backward,  Stubbs  suddenly  lowered  his 
head  and  charged  Chester. 

Taken  by  surprise,  the  lad  was  unable  to  get  out 
of  the  way  and  the  top  of  Stubbs'  head  rammed  him 
squarely  in  the  stomach.  Chester  doubled  up  and 
fell  to  the  ground  with  a  cry  of  pain. 

Stubbs  turned  and  started  to  run;  but  before  he 
had  taken  half  a  dozen  steps,  Hal  had  reached  him 
and  taken  him  by  the  arm.  In  vain  the  little  man 
struggled  to  shake  off  the  lad's  grasp. 

"Hey,  Stubbs!"  cried  Hal,  laughing  at  the  pre- 
dicament in  which  Chester  found  himself,  "what's 
the  matter  that  you've  turned  so  pugnacious  all  of 
a  sudden?  Getting  to  be  a  regular  fighter,  aren't 
you?" 

"Well,  he  was  just  about  to  swat  me,"  declared 
Stubbs. 

Chester  had  now  picked  himself  up  and  advanced 
upon  Stubbs,  threateningly. 

"Say !"  he  exclaimed ;  "what  do  you  mean  by 
using  your  head  as  a  battering  ram  on  me?" 

"I  told  you  to  keep  away,"  returned  Stubbs. 

"I  know  you  did ;  but  that's  no  sign  you  should 
try  to  kill  me.     I  wasn't  going  to  hurt  you." 

"Maybe  not,"  said  Stubbs,  "but  I  wasn't  going 
to  take  any  more  chances.  Now  you  keep  away 
from  me." 

"Oh,  Chester  won't  hurt  you,"  said  Hal,  with  a 


AT  VERDUN  185 

laugh.  "You  treated  him  just  right,  Stubbs.  He's 
got  no  kick  coming." 

"No,  that's  right,  Stubbs,"  said  Chester,  with  a 
grin.  "No  hard  feehngs,  I'm  sure.  You're  all  right. 
Put  her  there." 

The  lad  extended  a  hand.  Stubbs  advanced 
doubtfully,  but  at  last  grasped  Chester's  hand. 

Immediately  he  began  to  dance  about  wildly, 
shouting : 

"Leggo !    Leggo  my  hand !    Ouch !" 

At  last  Chester  relaxed  his  grip. 

"That  makes  it  square  all  around,  Stubbs,"  he 
said  with  a  grin. 

For  a  moment  Stubbs  gazed  at  him  angrily,  the 
while  he  worked  his  fingers  back  and  fro  to  chase 
away  the  stiffness.    Then  he  smiled. 

"All  right,"  he  said.    "Now  we're  square." 

"Where  you  bound,  Stubbs?"  asked  Hal. 

"Hunting  news,"  returned  Stubbs. 

"By  Jove!"  said  Chester.  "Why  not  take  him 
along  with  us,  Hal  ?" 

"Suits  me,"  was  Hal's  answer,  "if  he  wants  to 

go- 

"Where  you  going?"  demanded  Stubbs, 

"Sailing,"  returned  Chester.  "Sailing  over  the 
German  lines.    Want  to  go  along?" 

"Not  me,"  said  Stubbs,  briefly. 

"Come  now,  Stubbs,  don't  be  afraid.  Nothing 
is  going  to  hurt  you,  and  we  might  need  you." 


186  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"That's  what  I  thought,"  said  Stubbs.  "I  knew 
there  w^as  some  reason  you  wanted  me  to  go  along. 
I  knew  you  didn't  just  want  to  take  me  along  to 
show  me  the  sights.  Want  me  to  stand  in  the  gap 
when  the  trouble  comes  up.    I  know  you." 

"I  assure  you  I  had  no  such  thoughts," 

"Well,  maybe  you  didn't  have  them,  but  that  is 
what  would  happen  all  the  same." 

"Stubbs,"  said  Hal,  quietly.  "It's  my  belief  that 
you're  afraid." 

"Hal,"  said  Stubbs,  "you  can  bet  your  life  Fm 
afraid  to  go  up  in  the  air  with  you  two." 

"Come  on,  Stubbs,"  said  Chester,  seriously. 
"Honestly,  we  would  be  glad  of  your  company.  We 
haven't  seen  much  of  you  for  some  time." 

"I  know  you  haven't,"  returned  Stubbs,  "and 
that's  why  my  health  happens  to  be  so  good  right 
now.  But  what  are  you  going  to  do  over  the  Ger- 
man lines?" 

"Get  the  lay  of  the  land,"  said  Hal.  "Find  out 
the  German  strength  and  a  few  other  things,  if  pos- 
sible." 

"Hm-m-m,"  muttered  Stubbs.  "Ought  to  be 
some  news  for  the  Gazette  over  there,  don't  you 
think?" 

"Lots  of  it,  Stubbs,"  replied  Chester. 

"The  only  trouble,"  said  Stubbs,  "is  that  if  I  go 
after  it,  will  I  be  able  to  come  back  and  tell  the 
Gazette  about  it?" 


AT  VERDUN  187 

"If  you  don't  mind,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  said  Hal,  "one 
of  us  will  take  it  upOn  himself  to  see  that  the  Gazeite 
gets  the  news." 

"After  my  job,  are  you?"  said  Stubbs,  with  a 
smile. 

"Well,  not  exactly.  We  just  offered  to  help  you 
out." 

"I  can't  see  where  that  would  do  me  any  good. 
However,  I  guess  I'll  take  you  up  on  this  bet.  I 
might  be  able  to  learn  something  of  importance. 
The  next  thing  would  be  to  get  it  by  the  censor." 

"Why,  Stubbs,"  said  Chester,  "with  your  pull  with 
General  Petain,  I  can't  see  that  you  shauld  have  any 
trouble." 

"My  pull,  eh?"  said  Stubbs,  with  rather  a  sickly 
grin.  "You  two  went  and  smashed  my  pull  all  to 
smithereens." 

"Oh,  well,"  said  Hal,  "a  newspaper  man  always 
finds  a  way." 

Stubbs  looked  at  Hal,  suspiciously. 

"If  you're  making  fun  of  me "  he  began. 

"Far  from  it,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  replied  Hal.  "I  was 
just  stating  a  fact.  Why,  you've  told  us  that  your- 
self." 

"Come,  come,  Stubbs,"  said  Chester.  "Are  you 
going  along  or  not  ?    It's  time  to  be  moving," 

The  little  war  correspcaident  made  his  decision. 

"I'll  go,"  he  said  quietly. 


188  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XXni 


FLYING 


"You  know  I  don't  think  much  of  these  contrap- 
tions," said  Stubbs. 

With  Hal  and  Chester  he  was  flying  aloft  in  a 
large  army  biplane.  The  little  war  correspondent 
had  climbed  into  the  machine  with  the  same  trepi- 
dation he  always  manifested  when  about  to  ascend 
into  the  air,  but  he  had  not  spoken  until  the  ma- 
chine was  a  full  half  mile  aloft  and  Hal  had  sent  it 
moving  swiftly  toward  the  distant  German  lines. 

"Just  sit  tight  and  you  will  be  all  right,"  Chester 
replied. 

"Never  fear,  I'll  sit  tight,"  returned  Stubbs  and 
became  silent. 

It  was  very  dark  aloft.  Because  he  feared  he 
might  encounter  an  air  craft  of  the  enemy,  Hal 
had  not  turned  on  the  searchlight  with  which  the 
machine  was  equipped.  He  had  taken  his  bearings 
before  making  a  start  and  was  now  trusting  to  his 
judgment  of  distances  to  guide  him  to  the  spot  he 
had  selected  to  return  to  the  ground. 


AT  VERDUN  189 

This  point,  which  Hal  and  Chester  had  decided 
upon  after  some  deliberation,  was  well  behind  the 
most  advanced  German  lines.  According  to  Hal's 
calculations,  it  was  possible  that  at  the  place  selected 
there  would  be  few  German  troops.  He  had  fig- 
ured to  descend  between  the  German  lines.  Under 
the  cover  of  darkness  he  felt  there  was  little  to  fear 
should  they  avoid  all  enemy  aircraft. 

Accordingly,  it  was  about  an  hour  later  when  Hal 
reduced  the  speed  of  the  biplane  and  then  shut  off 
the  motor  altogether.  A  moment  later  the  machine 
began  to  glide  slowly  to  earth. 

Chester,  peering  over  the  side  of  the  aeroplane, 
was  the  first  to  see  the  ground  below. 

"Land  below!"  he  called  to  Hal. 

"Anything  in  sight?"  asked  Hal. 

"Not  a  thing.  Coast  seems  to  be  perfectly  clear. 
Trees  near,  too;  so  we  can  hide  the  plane,  if  you 
go  almost  straight  down." 

Hal  followed  directions  and  a  moment  later  the 
biplane  came  to  rest  upon  the  ground  as  lightly  as 
a  bird. 

Hal,  Chester  and  Stubbs  climbed  out  quickly. 

"Guess  we  had  better  run  the  machine  back 
among  the  trees,"  said  Hal.    "Lend  me  a  hand  here." 

It  was  the  work  of  but  a  few  moments.  Hal 
walked  some  distance  away  and  surveyed  the  spot 
where  the  machine  had  been  rolled.  He  walked 
around  it  on  all  sides. 


190  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"O.  K.,"  he  said.  "You  wouldn't  know  it  was 
there  unless  you  happened  to  be  looking  for  it." 

"Well,  what  now  ?"  asked  Chester. 

"Guess  we  had  better  don  those  German  uniforms 
and  prowl  about  a  bit." 

"Snoop,  eh,"  said  Stubbs. 

"Now  look  here,  Stubbs,"  said  Hat,  "you  just 
keep  quiet  and  get  into  this  uniform  we  brought 
along  for  you." 

Mumbling  to  himself,  Stubbs  obeyed. 

Arrayed  in  the  German  uniforms — the  attire  of 
lieutenants — the  three  advanced  toward  where  they 
felt  sure  the  main  German  entrenchments  must  be. 
Hal  glanced  at  his  watch  in  the  moonlight. 

"Ten  o'clock,"  he  said.  "Within  three  hours  we 
should  have  learned  all  we  need  to.  As  soon  as  we 
reach  the  German  lines  we  shall  separate.  We'll 
meet  here  again  at  two  o'clock.  Is  that  satisfac- 
tory?" 

"Suits  me,"  said  Chester. 

"Want  to  lose  me,  do  you?"  grumbled  Stubbs. 
"Never  mind,  though.  I'll  be  here  by  the  time  you 
are. 

"Pick  up  every  scrap  of  information  possible," 
Hal  enjoined  his  companions.  "Don't  take  the 
trouble  to  write  it  down.  Just  impress  it  on  your 
memory." 

The  others  nodded  their  understanding. 

The  three  came  now  upon  a  light  in  the  distance. 


AT  VERDUN  191 

"Germans  ahead,  I  guess,"  Chester  whispered. 
"Careful  and  let  all  further  conversation  be  in  Ger- 
man." 

The  lad  was  right.  Advancing  two  hundred  yards 
farther,  the  three  friends  came  upon  the  outlying 
sections  of  the  big  German  camp.  Sentinels  moved 
about  in  the  darkness,  their  forms  lighted  up  now 
and  then  by  the  flare  of  campfires — for  the  night  was 
very  cold. 

Once  they  were  challenged  by  a  sentry,  but  when 
the  man  looked  at  their  uniforms  in  the  moonlight, 
he  lowered  his  rifle  and  passed  on. 

"Fll  go  straight  ahead,"  said  Chester  in  a  low 
voice.    "Hal,  you  go  north  and  let  Stubbs  go  south." 

And  thus  it  was  arranged  without  further  talk. 
The  three  friends  separated. 

Walking  between  the  rows  of  German  tents,  Ches- 
ter, after  perhaps  half  an  hour,  was  arrested  by  the 
sound  of  voices  in  a  tent  that  seemed,  in  the  dark- 
ness, to  be  much  larger  than  the  ones  which  sur- 
rounded it.    He  paused  and  listened  attentively. 

"Then  everything  is  in  readiness,"  came  a  voice. 

"Everything.  When  the  French  see  that  we  have 
weakened  our  lines  on  the  left  wing,  they  naturally 
will  press  forward  in  masses.  The  pressure  on  the 
right  wing  probably  will  be  lessened.  Also  in  the 
center.  General  Petain,  in  all  probabilities,  will  seek 
to  take  advantage  of  what  he  will  believe  is  our  care- 
lessness." 


192  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"And  then?"  asked  the  first  voice. 

"Why,  then  we  shall  push  forward  in  the  centet 
and  on  the  right,  leaving  enough  men  on  the  left 
to  make  a  show  of  force.  Taken  at  a  disadvantage,. 
the  French  will  be  cut  off  on  our  left,  and  our  cen- 
ter, sweeping  around,  suddenly,  will  envelop  them. 
As  I  estimate  it,  the  French  wing,  which  will  be  thus 
enveloped,  will  be  100,000  strong.  It  will  be  a  tell- 
ing blow." 

Chester,  while  this  conversation  was  in  progress^ 
had  shrunk  close  up  against  the  tent.  Now,  think- 
ing to  gain  a  view  of  the  occupants,  he  drew  his  knife 
from  his  pocket  and  made  a  little  slit  in  the  canvas. 
To  this  opening  he  applied  his  eye;  and  then  gave 
an  exclamation  under  his  breath. 

In  the  center  of  the  group  of  officers  in  the  tent 
was  none  other  than  the  German  Crown  Prince,  the 
directing  head  of  the  German  attack  on  Verdun, 
and  son  of  the  Emperor  himself. 

The  conversation  continued  and  the  lad  stored  up 
mentally  the  knowledge  he  gained  by  listening  to 
the  conversation. 

The  gathering  within  now  seemed  about  to  break 
up ;  but  Chester  delayed  in  his  precarious  position, 
thinking  to  gather  every  possible  iota  of  informa- 
tion.   And  this  almost  proved  his  undoing. 

Although  Chester  did  not  know  it,  one  of  the 
German  officers  had,  for  some  moments,  been  gazing 
at  the  little  slit  in  the  tent  made  by  the  point  of 


AT  VERDUN  193 

Chester's  knife.  Now,  with  a  murmured  apology  to 
the  other  officers,  he  strode  from  the  tent.  Chester 
still  had  his  eyes  glued  to  the  opening  and  did  not 
hear  soft  footsteps  behind  him. 

A  harsh  voice  sounded  in  the  lad's  ear. 

"Get  up  from  there !" 

Chester  did  not  lose  his  nerve,  although  he  real- 
ized immediately  that  he  was  in  a  ticklish  position, 
indeed.  His  hand  reached  for  his  pocket  as  he  rose 
slowly  to  his  feet. 

But  one  glance  at  the  figure  that  confronted  him 
told  the  lad  that  it  would  be  useless  for  him  to  at- 
tempt to  draw  his  revolver;  for  the  German  held  a 
pistol  in  a  steady  hand  and  it  was  levelled  straight  at 
Chester's  head. 

"What  are  you  doing  here?"  was  the  officer's 
next  question. 

"Why,  I  heard  voices,"  said  Chester,  "and  I 
thought  I  would  see  what  was  going  on." 

"Curiosity  has  got  a  man  into  trouble  many  a 
time,"  said  the  German  quietly.  "March  on  ahead 
of  me." 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  obey.  Under  the 
muzzle  of  the  German  officer's  revolver,  Chester  was 
marched  around  to  the  front  of  the  tent  and  then 
inside. 

"Hello!"  It  was  the  Crown  Prince  who  spoke. 
**What  have  we  here  ?" 

"I  caught  this  man  eavesdropping  outside  the 


1^4.  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

tent,"  replied  the  man  who  had  captured  Chester. 

"So!"  said  the  Crown  Prince  in  an  angry  tone. 
He  whirled  upon  Chester.  "And  what  were  you 
doing  there,  sir?"  he  asked. 

"I — why,  I "  Chester  stammered. 

The  lad  was  thankful  in  that  minute  for  his  Ger- 
man uniform;  though  he  knew  it  probably  would 
go  hard  with  him  anyhow,  he  believed  that  the  fact 
that  he  was,  ostensibly,  a  German  lieutenant  would 
give  him  more  time;  possibly  it  would  give  Hal 
enough  time  to  find  and  rescue  him.  At  least,  it 
would  preclude  a  search  for  more  possible  French 
spies. 

"To  what  regiment  are  you  attached?"  asked  the 
Crown  Prince. 

Chester  took  a  long  chance. 

"Fortieth  Hussars,  sir,"  he  replied  quietly. 

"Then  what  are  you  doing  here?"  demanded  the 
Crown  Prince,  but  continued  without  giving  Chester 
time  to  reply :  "Surely  you  know  the  penalty  of  such 
actions?" 

"All  I  can  say,  sir,"  the  lad  declared,  "is  that  my 
curiosity  overcame  me." 

For  a  moment  it  seemed  that  the  face  of  the 
Crown  Prince  softened.  Then  it  became  stern 
again. 

"I  can  see  that  you  are  little  more  than  a  boy," 
he  said,  "but  that  is  no  excuse.  You  are  a  soldier 
and  you  know  a  soldier's  duty.    That  is  not  prying 


AT  VERDUN  196 

into  the  business  of  your  superiors."  He  turned  to 
the  group  of  officers,  "What  do  you  say,  sirs,"  he 
said,  "shall  I  have  this  man  courtmartialed,  or  shall 
I  have  him  returned  to  his  regiment  with  a  warn- 
ing?" 

But  there  was  no  mercy  on  the  faces  of  the  oth- 
ers and  Chester  realized  it. 

"He  should  be  courtmartialed  and  shot,"  said 
one. 

"I  agree  with  you,"  said  another. 

"I'm  not  so  sure,"  said  the  Crown  Prince.  "The 
lad  is  young.  How  do  I  know  what  I  would  have 
done  in  his  place?  No;  I  am  tempted  to  have  him 
returned  to  his  regiment  and  placed  under  arrest 
indefinitely." 

"Lieutenant  Hollsein,  I  shall  leave  this  man  in 
your  charge.  See  that  he  is  returned  to  his  regiment 
immediately." 

Chester  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief.  He  realized 
that  he  was  still  in  a  perilous  situation,  for  when 
he  should  be  taken  to  the  commander  of  the  For- 
tieth Hussars,  his  deception  must  be  learned.  But 
at  least  it  gave  him  more  time. 

But  Chester's  sigh  of  relief  came  too  soon. 

"Hold  on !"  said  one  of  the  German  officers. 
"This  man  is  no  German !" 


196  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


STUBBS   AS   A   STRATEGIST 


Anthony  Stubbs,  after  leaving  Hal  and  Chester, 
pushed  off  to  the  south  slowly,  absolutely  uncon- 
scious of  the  adventures  that  were  to  come  his  way. 
Mindful  of  the  fact  that  there  was  a  certain  degree 
of  safety  in  the  German  uniform  he  wore,  and 
rather  proud  of  himself  thus  attired,  Stubbs  walked 
on  more  boldly  than  he  would  have  done  otherwise. 

And  thus  it  was  that,  without  warning,  he  walked 
suddenly  into  the  midst  of  a  group  of  German  offi- 
cers who  sat  about  a  campfire  a  short  distance  from 
where  he  had  left  his  two  young  friends. 

Stubbs  pulled  up  suddenly  and  would  have  drawn 
back  had  not  one  of  the  German  officers  sprung  sud- 
denly to  his  feet. 

"Here,  Hans,  is  another  man  now !"  exclaimed  the 
officer.  "A  moment  ago  you  were  bemoaning  the 
fact  that  there  was  not  another  man  to  take  a  hand 
in  a  game  of  cards.  Here  is  one  come  in  answer  to 
your  prayers." 

Two  other  German  officers  sprang  to  their  feet. 


AT  VERDUN  197 

"Four  of  us ;  that's  enough,"  said  one.  He  turned 
to  Stubbs.    "What  do  you  say?" 

"Say  to  what  ?"  asked  Stubbs,  bravely. 

"A  game  of  cards." 

"What  kind  of  a  game  of  cards?" 

"An  American  game,"  was  the  reply.  "Hans 
learned  it  when  he  was  in  the  United  States  and 
has  taught  us  something  about  it.    It's  called  poker." 

"I've  played  it,"  said  Stubbs. 

"Good !    Then  you  will  join  us  ?" 

"I  should  be  elsewhere,"  said  Stubbs,  hesitat- 
ingly. 

Be  it  known  that  Anthony  Stubbs,  war  corre- 
spondent of  the  New  York  Gazette,  had,  in  his  day, 
liked  to  play  a  game  of  poker,  whether  it  was  right 
or  whether  it  was  wrong.  Even  to  this  day  the 
lure  of  the  game  held,  and  in  spite  of  the  danger 
such  a  game  entailed,  Stubbs  was  not  loath  to  play. 
Besides,  the  little  man  bethought  himself  that  while 
the  game  was  in  progress  he  might  learn  something 
of  value,  so  he  said : 

"All  right.     I'll  play." 

The  man  called  Hans  now  sprang  to  his  feet. 

"I  want  to  warn  you,"  he  said,  "that  I  am  ex- 
tremely lucky  at  this  game." 

"Well,  I  used  to  be  fairly  lucky  myself,"  said 
Stubbs.  To  himself  he  said:  "Whoever  heard  of 
a  German  trying  to  play  the  American  game  of 
poker?" 


198  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

The  man  called  Hans  now  led  the  way  to  his 
quarters,  where  he  produced  a  table,  chairs  and  a 
pack  of  cards.  The  four  men  ranged  themselves 
around  the  table. 

As  the  game  progressed  there  was  considerable 
talk  of  the  status  of  the  opposing  armies  and  Stubbs 
gained  much  information  that  he  felt  would  be  of 
use.  As  time  passed  other  officers  dropped  in  to 
witness  the  game;  and  chancing  to  look  over  his 
shoulder,  Stubbs  was  startled  to  see  the  face  of 
Hal.  He  gave  a  slight  start,  but  quickly  covered 
this  up  as  he  saw  a  look  of  annoyance  on  Hal's 
face. 

"Hal  objects  to  my  gambling,  I  guess,"  Stubbs 
muttered  to  himself.  "But  what  do  I  care?  I'm 
glad  to  gather  in  a  few  German  coins.  Fortunate 
that  I  had  some  in  my  pocket." 

The  manner  in  which  Hal  came  to  be  in  the  tent 
was  very  simple.  He  had  walked  north  for  some 
distance,  and  finding  nothing  that  would  prove  of 
value,  he  had  turned  back.  He  had  been  attracted 
by  the  sound  of  conversation  and  had  joined  the 
group  of  German  officers  near  the  tent  where  the 
game  of  poker  was  in  progress.  When  one  of  the 
officers  had  suggested  going  in  and  watching  the 
game  Hal  had  acquiesced.  That  is  how  he  found 
himself  standing  behind  Stubbs  and  scanning  the 
latter's  cards. 

At  that  moment  Stubbs  had  lost  a  hand  to  the 


AT  VERDUN  199 

man  called  Hans.  Stubbs  was  considerably  net- 
tled, for  he  felt  sure  he  should  have  won.  He  turned 
an  eye  on  Hal,  who  stood  directly  behind  him. 

"Don't  stand  behind  me,"  the  little  man  snapped. 

"What's  the  matter?"  demanded  Hal.  "Super- 
stitious ?" 

"Yes,  if  you  want  to  call  it  that,"  Stubbs  an- 
swered. 

Hal  shifted  his  position  slightly. 

Again  Stubbs  scanned  a  hand  that  he  felt  sure 
would  win.  Hans  was  the  dealer.  As  he  drew  two 
more  cards,  Stubbs  suddenly  gave  a  start.  He  had 
seen  Hans  slip  a  card  from  his  sleeve. 

Now  Stubbs  w^as  not  a  fighter.  He  had  shown 
that  on  more  than  one  occasion.  But  the  little  man 
objected  to  being  imposed  upon.  Also  he  had  al- 
ways stood  for  a  square  deal  in  a  friendly  game  of 
cards.  He  had  proven  that  more  than  once  in  his 
younger  days.  And  now,  seeing  the  man  called 
Hans  cheating  made  Stubbs'  blood  boil. 

Quietly  he  leaned  across  the  table  and  spoke. 

"You,"  he  said,  shaking  his  forefinger  in  the 
man's  face,  "no  wonder  you  say  you  are  lucky." 

"Why,  what  do  you  mean  ?"  demanded  Hans,  his 
face  turning  pale,  for  he  well  realized  the  import 
of  Stubbs'  words. 

"I  mean,"  said  Stubbs,  and  at  that  moment  his 
hand  dropped  to  his  revolver  butt,  "I  mean  that 
you  are  a  cheat !" 


200  THE  BOY  ALLIES      * 

Stubbs  produced  his  revolver  and  levelled  it 
straight  at  Hans.  Then  he  swept  the  circle  of  sur- 
prised faces  about  him  with  his  eyes. 

"Sir!"  exclaimed  Hans,  "I  demand  an  apology 
for  those  words." 

"Well,  you  won't  get  it,"  returned  Stubbs,  decis- 
ively. He  turned  to  the  man  next  to  Hans.  "Reach 
up  his  sleeve  there,"  he  said,  "and  if  you  don't  find 
a  card  or  two  I'll  make  you  a  present  of  all  the 
money  I  have  in  my  pocket." 

Surprised,  the  other  obeyed  and  the  result  vindi- 
cated Stubbs.  Two  cards  fluttered  from  Hans* 
sleeve.    Stubbs  got  to  his  feet. 

"You  see,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "with  what  kind 
of  a  man  you  have  been  playing.  No  wonder  he 
calls  himself  lucky." 

The  others  were  very  angry.  Seeing  that  the 
matter  would  be  taken  out  of  his  hands,  Stubbs  re- 
stored his  revolver  to  its  place. 

Hans  stood  up. 

"If  you  think  I  have  cheated,"  he  said,  "you  are 
welcome  to  all  the  money  I  have  won.  As  for  you," 
he  turned  on  Stubbs,  "you  shall  die !" 

A  revolver  appeared  in  his  hand  as  if  by  magic 
and  Stubbs  shrank  back. 

But  before  the  man  could  fire  Hal  leaped  quickly 
forward  and  struck  up  the  weapon. 

"You  are  not  only  a  cheat  but  a  coward!"  said 
the  lad  quietly. 


AT  VERDUN  201 

"And  who  are  you  ?"  screamed  Hans,  now  beside 
himself  with  rage.  "What  have  you  to  do  with 
this?" 

"Nothing  more  than  to  prevent  murder,"  repHed 
Hal. 

Now  the  other  German  officers  took  a  hand  in 
the  trouble. 

"Lieutenant  Darnhart,"  said  one.  "I  wish  you 
never  to  speak  to  me  again." 

"Nor  to  me,"  from  the  other  man  who  had  taken 
part  in  the  game,  and  added :  "If  you  are  wise,  you 
will  know  what  to  do." 

For  a  moment  Hans  gazed  at  them  hardly  know- 
ing what  to  say.  Then,  slowly,  he  emptied  the  con- 
tents of  his  pockets  upon  the  table. 

"You  are  right,  gentlemen,"  he  said  quietly.  "I 
have  cheated.  Therefore,  this  money  belongs  to 
you.  And  do  not  fear  that  I  do  not  know  what  to 
do.    The  honor  of  the  regiment  shall  be  kept  clean." 

With  that  he  bowed  low  to  the  others  and  stalked 
from  the  tent.  The  others  stood  stiffly  erect  until 
he  had  disappeared ;  then  turned  to  Stubbs. 

"We  have  to  thank  you,  sir,"  said  one,  "for  open- 
ing our  eyes.  Long  we  have  wondered  why  Darn- 
hart  was  so  lucky,  why  he  always  arose  from  the 
game  the  only  winner.     Now  we  know." 

"Well,"  said  Stubbs,  "I  used  to  play  considerably 
when  I  lived  in  the  United  States,  and  for  that  rea- 
son, I  guess,  I  was  on  my  guard." 


202  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"At  all  events,"  said  the  second  German,  "you 
have  done  us  a  service  and  we  wish  to  thank 
you." 

"Why,  that's  all  right,"  said  Stubbs.  "I  am  sure 
either  of  you  would  have  done  the  same  thing  under 
the  circumstances.  And  with  your  permission,  I 
shall  leave  you  now." 

The  others  bowed  and  Stubbs  turned  toward 
the  door. 

"If  you  will  wait  a  moment,  sir,  I  shall  accom- 
pany you,"  said  a  voice. 

It  was  Hal  who  spoke  and  Stubbs  waited  obedi- 
ently. 

"First,"  said  Hal,  "I  have  something  else  to  do." 
He  addressed  the  Germans :  "Which  of  you  is  upon 
the  staff  of  General  Ludwig?" 

"Why,  I  am,"  said  one  of  the  men,  stepping  for- 
ward. 

"Good !"  said  Hal.  "I  would  have  spoken  sooner, 
but  I  was  absorbed  in  the  game.  I  did  not  remem- 
ber your  name,  but  I  was  sent  for  you.  Will  you 
follow  me  ?" 

The  German  nodded  his  head. 

"Very  well,"  said  Hal.     "Come." 

He  led  the  way  from  the  tent  and  the  German 
and  Stubbs  followed.  The  latter  was  astonished  at 
Hal's  words,  but  he  did  not  show  his  surprise  in 
his  actions.  He  walked  after  the  others  without  a 
word. 


AT  VERDUN  203 

"Something  up,"  he  muttered  to  himself.  "I  guess 
I  had  better  keep  my  gun  handy." 

Outside,  they  walked  along  slowly. 

Five  minutes  later,  when  they  reached  a  place  that 
was  somewhat  secluded,  Hal  suddenly  produced  his 
revolver  and  pressed  it  against  the  German's  head. 

"You  will  give  me  immediately  what  papers  you 
have  in  your  pockets,"  the  lad  said  quietly.  "If 
you  make  an  outcry  I  shall  be  compelled  to  shoot 
you." 

The  German  stared  aghast. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?"  he  demanded. 

"It  means  that  I  must  have  whatever  papers  you 
possess,"  said  Hal,  calmly,  "even  if  I  have  to  shoot 
you  to  get  them." 

"Ah !"  cried  the  German,  "I  see !    A  spy !" 

He  made  a  move  as  though  to  seize  Hal,  but  the 
lad  was  too  quick  for  him. 

With  his  left  hand  he  grabbed  the  German's 
elbow  in  a  tight  grip  and  squeezed.  Then,  even  be- 
fore the  man  had  time  to  cry  out,  the  lad  released  his 
hold,  reversed  his  revolver  quickly  and  brought  the 
butt  down  on  the  German's  head  with  all  his  force. 

The  man  crumpled  up  without  a  word  and  lay 
still. 

Stubbs,  who  had  witnessed  this  proceeding  in 
open-eyed  wonder,  now  uttered  an  exclamation. 

"What  are  you  doing?  Trying  to  get  us  both 
killed?"  he  demanded. 


204  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Hal  did  not  reply.  Stooping  over  the  prostrate 
German  he  ran  his  hand  quickly  through  the  man's 
pockets.  Then  he  straightened  up,  and  by  the  soft 
light  of  the  moon,  ran  through  the  papers  hurriedly. 
He  gave  an  exclamation  of  satisfaction. 

*'I  thought  I  should  find  something,"  he  muttered. 
"Come  on  now,  Stubbs !"  he  said. 

The  little  war  correspondent  hurried  after  him 
without  another  word. 


AT  VERDUN  205 


CHAPTER  XXV 


IN   GRAVE   PERIL 


Chester's  sigh  of  relief  almost  choked  in  his 
throat.  But  he  determined  to  brave  out  the  situa- 
tion as  well  as  he  could. 

"No,"  exclaimed  the  man  who  had  spoken,  "this 
boy  is  no  German !" 

Even  the  Crown  Prince  was  surprised. 

"Not  a  German!"  he  exclaimed.  "Then  what  is 
he?    A " 

"A  spy !"  the  other  concluded  for  him. 

"Impossible !"  declared  the  Crown  Prince.  "How 
could  there  be  a  spy  among  us?" 

"Well,  he's  here.  Surely  you  can  look  at  the  boy 
and  tell  he  is  not  a  German." 

The  Crown  Prince  approached  Chester  and  scrut- 
inized him  closely. 

"Who  are  you?"  he  demanded  at  length. 

"I  have  told  you,  sir,"  replied  Chester,  quietly. 

"But  you  have  not  told  the  truth,"  was  the 
Crown  Prince's  reply.  "I  can  see  you  are  not 
French.    Are  you  British  ?" 


206  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"No,  sir." 

"Then  what?" 

"Well,"  said  Chester,  at  length,  realizing  that 
subterfuge  was  useless,  "I  am  an  American." 

"With  the  French  army,  eh?"  said  the  Crown 
Prince. 

Chester  did  not  reply.  He  could  see  no  reason  for 
incriminating  himself,  though  he  realized,  too,  that 
it  made  no  particular  difference  w^hether  he  replied 
or  remained  silent.     He  was  convicted  either  way, 

"You  don't  answer,"  exclaimed  the  Crown  Prince* 
"That  is  evidence  sufficient  of  your  guilt." 

Chester  shrugged  his  shoulders.  The  Crowh 
Prince  eyed  him  angrily. 

"You  are  one  of  these  indifferent  ones,  are  you?" 
he  said.  "Well,  we  know  how  to  cure  that.  Do  you 
realize  what  is  in  store  for  you  ?" 

"Perfectly,"  replied  Chester.    "The  firing  squad." 

"No;  you  are  wrong,"  was  the  Crown  Prince's 
answer.  "The  firing  squad  is  too  good  for  spies. 
You  have  been  captured  within  our  lines  in  dis- 
guise; therefore,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  you 
are  a  spy.    You  shall  be  hanged." 

Chester  took  a  step  backward.  He  had  realized 
what  his  fate  would  be  should  he  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy,  but  this  was  more  than  he  had  bar- 
gained for.  And  at  that  moment  there  seemed  lit- 
tle possibility  that  Hal  would  find  and  be  able  to 
rescue  him. 


AT  VERDUN  20T 

"Looks  like  the  end  of  my  rope,"  the  lad  mut- 
tered. 

He  made  no  reply  to  the  Crown  Prince's  words. 
He  knew  a  reply  would  be  useless. 

"So  you  decline  to  talk  ?"  said  the  Crown  Prince. 
"Well,  it  matters  not."  He  motioned  to  one  of  his 
staff.  "See  that  this  prisoner  is  hanged  by  the 
neck  at  sunrise,"  he  said. 

The  officer  saluted  and  motioned  to  Chester  to 
precede  him  from  the  tent.  There  was  nothing  for 
it  but  to  obey  and  the  lad  walked  out. 

Now  it  happened  that  in  some  unaccountable 
manner  the  Germans  had  neglected  to  relieve  Ches- 
ter of  his  revolvers.  The  lad's  right  hand  rested 
upon  the  weapon  in  his  belt.  But  he  was  unable 
at  this  moment  to  draw  with  any  degree  of  hope, 
for  the  German  officer  was  directly  behind  him  and 
Chester  knew  he  would  be  shot  down  before  he  could 
turn  and  fire.  Also,  should  he  succeed  in  gaining  the 
drop  on  the  German  by  a  quick  move,  he  was  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  German  camp  and  the  sound  of 
a  shot  would  bring  a  thousand  men  on  his  heels. 

The  lad  bided  his  time. 

Perhaps  half  a  mile  from  the  quarters  of  the 
German  Crown  Prince,  Chester's  captor  motioned 
him  into  a  tent.  Chester  entered  without  a  word. 
What  hopes  he  might  have  had  of  suddenly  flash- 
ing his  revolver  on  his  captor  disappeared,  for  the 
man  entered  close  behind  him. 


208  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

He  clapped  his  hands. 

A  moment  later  a  second  officer  appeared  in  the 
tent  and  stood  at  attention. 

"Call  a  guard  of  four  men  and  have  this  tent 
surrounded,"  instructed  Chester's  captor. 

The  man  saluted  and  left  the  tent.  He  was  back 
within  a  few  moments,  however,  and  saluting  said : 

"The  tent  is  surrounded,  sir." 

"Very  well,"  said  Chester's  captor.     "You  may 

go- 
Again  the  man  left  the  tent;  then  Chester's  cap- 
tor said : 

"Now,  I  guess  you  will  be  safe  here  until  morn- 
ing; after  that  you  will  be  safe  for  all  time." 

"Thanks,"  said  Chester,  dryly. 

The  German  left  the  tent, 

Chester  now  took  stock  of  his  surroundings.  Out- 
side he  could  hear  his  guards  pacing  up  and  down. 

"If  I  could  get  one  of  them  in  here  at  a  time,'* 
the  lad  told  himself,  "perhaps  I  could  dispose  of 
them.     I'll  try  it." 

Approaching  the  entrance,  he  poked  his  head  out. 

"Get  back  inside  there,"  a  gruff  voice  exclaimed, 
and  Chester  beheld  a  large  German  soldier  with  his 
rifle  pointed  squarely  at  his  head. 

"Look  here,"  said  Chester.  "I  want  a  drink  of 
water," 

"Get  back  inside,"  was  the  sharp  reply.  "I'll  get 
it  for  yon." 


AT  VERDUN  200 

Chester  moved  back  in  the  tent.  Five  minutes 
later  the  German  soldier  stuck  his  head  inside. 

"Here's  your  water,"  he  said,  holding  forth  a  tin 
cup.  ^ 

Chester's  right  hand  rested  on  his  belt  as  he  ex- 
tended his  left  to  take  the  cup.  The  German  had 
lowered  his  gun  at  that  moment ;  and  he  paid  dearly 
for  his  carelessness. 

Chester  made  a  sudden  movement  and  the  cup  of 
water  went  clattering  to  the  ground.  At  the  same 
moment  Chester  brought  the  butt  of  his  revolver 
down  on  the  head  of  the  German  soldier  with  a 
crunch.    The  man  fell  to  the  ground. 

Hastily  now  Chester  seized  the  man  by  the  feet 
and  dragged  him  inside.  Then  the  lad  quickly 
stripped  him  of  his  clothes  and  donned  them  him- 
self. They  were  large,  but  Chester  made  them  fit 
by  turning  up  the  trousers  and  drawing  his  belt 
tight.  Then  he  picked  up  the  German's  gun  and 
stepped  from  the  tent. 

The  lad  had  intended  to  move  away  from  the  tent 
immediately,  but  even  as  he  would  have  walked  off 
a  second  of  the  guards  approached  and  engaged  him 
in  conversation.  Chester  muffled  his  voice  as  well  as 
possible  and  imitated  the  hoarse  tones  of  the  man 
he  had  disposed  of. 

"Nice  night,"  said  the  German. 

"Nice  night,"  Chester  agreed. 

"What  is  to  be  done  with  the  prisoner  inside?*' 


210  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Hang  him  in  the  morning,"  said  Chester. 

"Good !    It's  the  way  all  spies  should  be  treated." 

"Of  course;  unless  they  chance  to  be  German 
spies." 

"That's  different,"  muttered  the  guard. 

"Of  course  it  is,"  Chester  agreed  and  added: 
"You'd  better  get  back  to  your  place.  The  prisoner 
might  escape  under  your  nose." 

"Not  much  chance,"  was  the  reply.  "I  wouldn't 
care  if  he  did  try,  though.  I'd  like  to  have  a  shot 
at  him." 

"Nice  pleasant  sort  of  a  customer,"  Chester  mut- 
tered to  himself.  Aloud,  he  said :  "Well,  I  was  just 
giving  you  a  word  of  warning.  You  can't  tell  about 
these  fellows.     They're  pretty  slippery  customers." 

"Well,  this  one  won't  slip  out  of  our  clutches," 
declared  the  guard.  "I  wonder  if  I  hadn't  better 
go  in  and  have  a  look  at  him?" 

"Can't  be  done,"  said  Chester.  "My  instructions 
are  to  let  no  one  pass."  ^ 

"So  are  mine,  but  what  has  that  to  do  with  it?" 

"A  whole  lot.  I'm  on  guard  in  front  here  and  I 
say  you  can't  go  in." 

"Come  now,  be  a  good  fellow,  I  want  to  have 
a  look  at  the  prisoner." 

"Can't  be  done,"  returned  Chester. 

"You  are  a  deucedly  uncivil  sort  of  a  fellow,** 
said  the  guard.  "I  don't  seem  to  know  you.  What's 
your  name?" 


AT  VERDUN  211 

"None  of  your  business,"  returned  Chester. 

"Is  that  so?  Suppose  I  make  it  some  of  my  busi- 
ness," and  the  guard  took  a  threatening  step  for- 
ward. 

"You'll  be  sorry,  that's  all." 

"Think  so,  do  you?  Let  me  tell  you  something. 
I'm  going  to  hunt  you  up  in  the  morning  and  have 
it  out  with  you."  '' 

"All  right,"  said  Chester.  "You  can  suit  your- 
self about  that.  But  wait  until  morning.  Remem- 
ber we're  guarding  this  prisoner  now." 

"Well,  I've  a  notion  to  settle  with  you  right  now, 
prisoner  or  no  prisoner.     I  don't  like  you." 

"To  tell  the  truth,  I  don't  think  a  whole  lot  of 
you,"  said  Chester.  "I  would  a  great  deal  rather 
be  without  your  company.  You  had  better  get  back 
where  you  belong." 

"Think  so,  do  you?    Well,  I'll  show  you." 

With  these  words  the  German  guard  forgot  all 
about  the  prisoner  supposed  to  be  inside  and  every- 
thing else  save  that  he  wanted  to  get  at  Chester.  He 
dropped  his  rifle  with  a  clatter  and  struck  at  Ches- 
ter with  his  right  fist. 

"Well,  if  you  must  have  it,"  Chester  muttered  ta 
himself. 

He,  too,  dropped  his  gun  and  his  right  fist  shot 
forth.  The  German  staggered  back  with  a  grunt; 
but  Chester's  blow  had  not  reached  a  vital  spot  and 
the  guard  leaped  forward  again. 


212  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

This  time  Chester  timed  his  blow  a  little  more 
carefully. 

"Smack!" 

The  lad's  fist  landed  flush  on  the  guard's  jaw. 
The  man  rolled  over  like  a  log. 

Chester  looked  around  quickly. 

"Now  to  get  out  of  this,"  he  muttered. 

He  picked  up  his  rifle  and  turned  to  move  away. 
But  even  as  he  would  have  started  the  sound  of 
hurrying  footsteps  halted  him ;  and  he  began  to  pace 
up  and  down  in  front  of  the  tent. 

Two  figures  dashed  toward  him;  behind  them 
came  the  sound  of  shots. 

"Hello!"  said  Chester  to  himself.  "More  trouble 
in  camp.    Wonder  what's  up  now?" 

The  answer  was  to  come  sooner  than  he  could 
have  expected.  As  the  two  figures  came  closer, 
other  figures  appeared  in  the  distance.  There  came 
the  sound  of  revolver  shots. 

"This  way !"  cried  a  voice. 

Chester  raised  his  rifle,  ready  to  take  a  hand  in 
the  proceedings  himself  should  the  occasion  de- 
mand. 

"This  thing  is  getting  rather  complicated,"  he  told 
himself. 

The  two  approaching  figures  came  closer  rapidly. 
Chester  gave  an  exclamation  of  pure  astonishment 


AT  VERDUN  213 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

RUNNING   THE   GAUNTLET 

When  Hal  and  Stubbs  took  to  their  heels  after 
the  former  had  relieved  the  German  officer  of  his 
papers,  they  had  run  some  distance  before  coming 
across  anyone  in  the  darkness.  Then  they  came 
upon  another  figure  so  suddenly  that  it  almost  re- 
sulted in  their  capture. 

Hal,  in  the  lead,  had  been  just  about  to  slacken 
his  pace,  when,  rounding  a  corner  suddenly,  he  had 
crashed  into  a  form  in  the  night.  The  two  went 
down  in  a  heap ;  and  Stubbs,  turning  a  moment  later, 
had  stumbled  over  the  pair  of  struggling  forms  be- 
fore he  could  check  himself.  In  a  moment  he  found 
himself  mixed  up  in  the  struggling  mass. 

A  fist  struck  Stubbs  squarely  upon  the  nose. 

"Hey!  Quit  that,"  said  Stubbs,  and  struck  out 
with  his  right. 

This  blow  came  almost  ending  the  fight  right  there 
and  in  a  manner  not  at  all  advantageous  to  Stubbs 
and  Hal.  In  the  darkness  the  little  war  correspond- 
ent had  been  unable  to  distinguish  friend  from  foe 
and  his  fist  caught  Hal  just  above  the  right  eye. 


214  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Now  Anthony  Stubbs  had  considerable  power  in 
his  right  arm  and  for  a  moment  Hal  was  dazed  by 
the  blow.  Before  he  could  clear  his  head,  his  op- 
ponent had  struck  him  a  heavy  blow  on  the  other 
side  of  the  neck  and  leaped  to  his  feet. 

At  that  instant  Stubbs  realized  what  he  had  done 
and  a  sickening  sensation  struck  him  in  the  pit  of 
the  stomach;  but  the  little  man  determined  to  give 
the  best  that  was  in  him  to  undo  his  work. 

With  an  angry  bellow  he  charged  his  German 
opponent.  The  latter  stepped  back  a  pace  and  sought 
to  draw  his  revolver,  but  Stubbs  was  too  quick  for 
him.  Almost  at  the  moment  that  Stubbs  crashed 
into  his  foe  he  lowered  his  head,  as  would  a  steer, 
and  his  head  caught  the  German  in  the  region  of  the 
belt. 

Came  a  gasp  from  the  German  as  he  doubled  up 
and  collapsed.  He  rolled  over  upon  the  ground  sev- 
eral times  in  a  vain  attempt  to  gain  his  breath ;  then 
lay  still. 

The  victory  was  with  Stubbs ! 

Hal  had  now  regained  consciousness  and  sat  up 
just  in  time  to  see  the  effect  of  Stubbs'  charge. 

"Good  work,  Stubbs !"  the  lad  cried.  "Now  lend 
me  a  hand  and  we'll  get  away  from  here !" 

Stubbs  did  as  requested  and  a  moment  later  Hal 
was  on  his  feet.  The  lad  felt  the  bump  over  his  eye 
tenderly. 

"Stubbs,"  he  said,  "it  was  rather  dark  and  we  were 


AT  VERDUN  215 

»o  mixed  up  on  the  ground  that  I  couldn't  see,  but 
I  would  be  willing  to  wager  a  whole  lot  that  it 
wasn't  a  German  who  gave  me  this  crack  over  the 
eye.    Now  was  it?" 

"Well,"  said  Stubbs,  "I— I " 

"Just  as  I  thought,"  declared  Hal.  "So  you  tried 
to  do  me  up  as  well  as  the  German,  eh  ?" 

"It  was  an  accident,"  declared  Stubbs.  "You 
know  I  wouldn't  have  done  it  on  purpose,  Hal." 

"It  came  very  near  being  a  costly  accident, 
Stubbs.  Suppose  the  German  had  laid  you  out? 
Then  what?    We  would  have  been  nabbed,  sure." 

"I'll  be  more  careful  next  time,"  said  Stubbs,  apol- 
ogetically. 

"You  won't  have  to  be,"  said  Hal.  "Next  time 
I'm  going  to  get  in  the  first  blow.  Then  we'll  see 
how  you  like  it.  But  come.  We  must  be  mov- 
ing away  from  here.  See.  The  German  is  re- 
gaining consciousness.  I  don't  want  to  kill 
him,  and  we  mus'n't  be  here  when  he  comes  to. 
Come  now." 

Hal  led  the  way  rapidly  along  the  row  of  tents. 

"Looks  as  though  we  should  be  safe  enough 
now,"  the  lad  said,  after  they  had  walked  for  per- 
haps fifteen  minutes. 

The  lad  produced  his  watch,  and  by  the  soft  light 
of  the  moon,  took  note  of  the  time. 

"By  Jove!  half  past  one  o'clock,"  he  said.  "We 
shall  have  to  hurry  back  or  Chester  will  be  worried." 


216  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Let's  hope  Chester  will  be  there  when  we  ar- 
rive," said  Stubbs. 

"Oh,  he'll  be  there,  all  right.    Come  on." 

"Say,"  said  Stubbs  as  they  walked  along,  "what 
I  want  to  know  is  how  you  knew  the  German  officer 
you  knocked  down  had  any  valuable  papers  ?" 

"That's  easy,"  was  Hal's  response.  "Before  en- 
tering the  tent  where  your  little  game  was  in  prog- 
ress, I  overheard  one  of  the  officers  without  men- 
tion the  fact  that  an  aide  of  General  Lud wig's  was 
in  the  tent  and  that  he  carried  important  papers. 
The  rest  was  very  simple." 

"I  see,"  said  Stubbs.  "Now  what — look  there, 
Hal." 

The  little  man  broke  off  suddenly  and  pointed  di- 
rectly ahead.  Advancing  toward  them  were  per- 
haps a  dozen  German  soldiers,  with  an  officer  at 
their  head. 

"We'll  have  to  get  out  of  the  way,"  said  Hal, 
quietly.  "We  haven't  time  to  answer  questions 
now." 

He  turned  between  the  rows  of  tents  and  hur- 
ried on,  with  Stubbs  close  behind  him.  And  from 
the  German  officer  came  the  command  to  halt. 

Instead,  Hal  increased  his  speed  and  a  moment 
later  he  and  Stubbs  were  running  quietly  between  the 
rows  of  German  tents.  Behind  came  the  sound  of 
pursuing  footsteps. 

"We're  in  for  it  now,  Stubbs,"  panted  Hal.     "I 


AT  VERDUN  217 

was  a  fool  to  run.  They  know  now  that  there  is 
something  wrong  and  they  won't  rest  until  they  have 
scoured  the  entire  camp." 

"Then  we  are  done  for!"  exclaimed  Anthony 
Stubbs. 

"Not  yet!"  replied  Hal.  "While  there's  life 
there's  hope.    Never  say  die,  Stubbs." 

The  little  man  did  not  reply.  He  saved  all  the 
breath  he  had  left  for  running  purposes,  for  he  felt 
that  he  was  likely  to  have  to  run  the  rest  of  the 
night. 

Suddenly,  making  another  short  turn,  Hal  pulled 
up.  Stubbs  did  likewise  and  both  listened  atten- 
tively. 

The  footsteps  were  some  distance  back. 

"We've  gained  a  bit,  Stubbs,"  said  Hal. 

"Well,  what's  the  use  of  waiting  here  then?"  de- 
manded the  war  correspondent.  "Let's  gain  a  bit 
more." 

"Hold  on !"  exclaimed  Hal,  as  Stubbs  would  have 
taken  to  his  heels  again.  "We  can't  run  clear 
through  the  German  camp  like  this,  you  know. 
We're  bound  to  be  caught  if  we  try  it.  It  must  be 
strategy  rather  than  fleetness  of  foot  if  we  hope 
\o  get  out  of  this  situation  safely." 

"All  right,"  Stubbs  agreed.  "Whatever  you  say 
suits  me.  But  if  it  is  strategy  that  is  going  to  get 
us  out  of  this,  tell  me  some  strategy  real  quick." 

Hal  considered  a  moment.    Every  second  the  pur- 


218  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

suing  footsteps  were  coming  closer.  Stubbs 
squirmed  about  uneasily. 

"Say,"  he  said  at  last;  "hear  those  fellows  com- 
ing?   I'm  going  to  get  away  from  here." 

Again  he  took  to  his  heels;  and  there  was  noth- 
ing for  Hal  to  do  but  follow,  for  he  did  not  wish 
to  lose  sight  of  the  little  man.  Besides,  in  that  mo- 
ment's pause,  Hal  had  decided  upon  a  plan  that  he 
believed  had  a  fair  chance  of  success. 

For  perhaps  five  minutes  more  they  ran  on,  Hal 
fearful  at  every  moment  that  German  soldiers  would 
pour  from  their  tents  and  interrupt  their  flight.  For- 
tunately, this  did  not  happen,  however. 

Hal,  fleet  of  foot  as  he  was,  was  hard  pressed  to 
catch  up  with  Stubbs,  who  had  gained  a  slight  lead 
and  was  covering  the  ground  with  rapid  strides.  But 
at  last  the  lad  overtook  him  and  laid  a  hand  on  his 
shoulder. 

"Slow  down,  there,"  he  commanded.  "First  thing 
you  know  you'll  have  the  whole  camp  after  us. 
Those  shoes  of  yours  must  be  at  least  number  elev- 
ens.    They  shake  the  whole  earth  when  you  run." 

"Well,  they  have  come  in  pretty  handy  to-night," 
said  Stubbs.  "What  are  you  stopping  here 
for?" 

"Because  I  don't  want  to  arouse  every  German 
in  the  camp.    I'll  tell  you  about  that  strateg}'  now." 

"Well,  let's  hear  it  real  quick,"  said  Stubbs,  im- 
patiently.   "I  want  to  get  away  from  here." 


AT  VERDUN  219 

"So  do  I,"  said  Hal,  "but  I  want  to  get  away  all 
in  one  piece.  Here's  my  plan :  We  can't  hope  to  get 
away  by  running.  Sooner  or  later,  before  we  are 
clear  of  the  German  lines,  we  are  certain  to  bump 
into  some  one.  That  would  settle  it.  We'll  go 
ahead  a  little  more,  then  we'll  enter  one  of  these 
tents,  tap  the  occupants  on  the  head  with  our  re- 
volver butts  and  crawl  into  their  cots.  Then  when 
our  pursuers  have  gone  by  we'll  go  back." 

"By  Jove!"  said  Stubbs,  "that's  not  half  bad. 
Wonder  why  I  can't  think  of  things  like  that?" 

"Because  you're  too  busy  running,"  returned 
Hal. 

The  first  of  the  pursuers  came  into  sight  at  that 
moment  and  uttered  a  cry.  This  told  the  others  fol- 
lowing that  the  prey  had  been  sighted  and  they 
dashed  forward. 

"Come  as  fast  as  you  can,  Stubbs,"  shouted  Ches- 
ter.   "We've  got  to  get  out  of  sight." 

In  the  distance  Hal  saw  a  solitary  figure  standing 
before  a  tent.  He  knew  that  this  figure  had  seen 
him  and  decided  that  the  man  must  be  disposed  of 
before  he  could  give  the  alarm.  Therefore,  he 
headed  straight  for  him. 

As  he  ran,  Hal  expected  every  moment  that  the 
figure  before  the  tent  would  open  fire  on  him  and 
his  own  revolver  was  held  ready  should  the  m.an's 
first  shot  go  wild.  Hal  did  not  wish  to  fire  if  he 
could  possibly  avoid  it. 


220  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Close  behind  Hal,  Stubbs  panted  and  puffed  along. 
Once  Hal  was  forced  to  reduce  his  speed  in  order 
that  Stubbs  might  keep  up  with  him.  The  little 
man  was  doing  his  best,  but  his  short  legs  were  not 
built  to  maintain  a  pace  that  Hal  could  set.  Be- 
sides, he  had  long  since  lost  his  youthfulness  and  he 
could  not  run  as  he  had  done  in  his  earlier  days. 

"I  can't  go  much  farther,  Hal,"  he  gasped. 

"Just  a  little  ways,  Stubbs,"  Hal  urged  him  on. 
"See  that  man  in  the  tent  there?  That's  where 
we'll  hide.  I'll  knock  him  out  if  he  doesn't  get  me 
first.  The  fool !  He  is  taking  a  long  chance.  He 
should  fire." 

At  that  moment  there  came  a  fusillade  of  shots 
from  behind. 

In  his  anxiousness  to  get  the  man  in  the  door  of 
the  tent  out  of  the  way,  Hal  had  continued  a  straight 
course  longer  than  he  had  realized ;  and  this  had  al- 
lowed the  pursuers  to  come  within  sight  again. 
There  was  nothing  to  do  but  make  the  best  of  it 
now. 

Hal  dashed  straight  for  the  figure  in  the  tent. 

Drawing  close,  Hal  raised  his  revolver,  reversed, 
and  held  it  ready  to  bring  down  on  the  figure's  head 
the  moment  they  should  come  together.  There  was 
a  sudden  exclamation  from  the  figure  in  the  tent; 
and  with  it  Hal  dropped  his  arm;  the  exclamation 
was  a  single  word : 

"Hal!" 


AT  VERDUN  221 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

A   HARD   BLOW   TO   THE   ENEMY 

It  was  the  voice  of  Chester.      ♦ 

Hal  stopped  abruptly.  Stubbs  also  panted  up  and 
came  to  a  halt. 

"What  on  earth  are  you  doing  here,  Chester?" 
asked  Hal. 

For  answer  Chester  pointed  to  the  men  who  were 
pursuing  his  friends. 

"Are  those  fellows  after  you?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,"  was  Hal's  answer. 

"Then  let's  get  away  from  here,"  said  Chester. 
"Come  on." 

He  took  to  his  heels  and  Hal  and  Stubbs  followed 
him.  Gaining  his  friend's  side,  Hal,  in  a  few  quick 
words,  explained  his  plan  as  he  had  outlined  it  to 
Stubbs  only  a  few  moments  before. 

"Then  we  shall  have  to  get  out  of  sight  of  our 
pursuers."  said  Chester.  "Come,  Stubbs,"  he  called 
back  over  his  shoulder,  "a  little  spurt  now  and  we 
shall  be  safe." 

Stubbs  tried  to  respond  to  this  command ;  and  he 
did  succeed  in  getting  up  a  little  more  speed  as  he 


222  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

turned  about  a  tent  after  Hal  and  Chester.  Twice 
more  the  three  doubled  on  their  tracks  and  then 
Hal  pulled  up  before  a  tent. 

"This  will  do  as  well  as  another,  I  guess,"  he 
said. 

"Waste  no  time,"  said  Chester.  "Revolvers  ready 
and  come  on." 

With  weapons  reversed  the  three  entered  the  tent 
quietly.  Deep  snores  within  led  the  friends  to  the 
cots  of  the  occupants  of  the  tent. 

"I  hate  to  do  this,"  said  Chester,  as  he  stood  over 
a  German  soldier,  "but  there  is  no  help  for  it." 

His  arm  rose  and  fell. 

Across  the  tent  Hal  performed  a  similar  oper- 
ation. Then  they  explored  carefully  in  the  darkness 
for  signs  of  another  figure. 

There  was  none. 

"Only  two  cots,  Hal,"  whispered  Chester.  "Now 
let's  get  to  bed  until  things  have  quieted  down." 

Quickly  the  three  threw  off  their  clothes  and  clam- 
bered into  the  cots,  first  throwing  the  men  they  had 
overcome  beneath  them.  Stubbs  had  a  cot  to  him- 
self, while  Hal  and  Chester  climbed  in  together. 

"When  they  fail  to  find  trace  of  us  they  likely  will 
come  back  and  ask  if  we  have  been  seen,"  said  Hal. 
"We  must  pretend  to  be  asleep." 

A  few  moments  later  the  sound  of  their  pursuers' 
feet  were  audible  as  they  passed  the  tent  on  the  run. 
Then  they  died  away  in  the  distance. 


AT  VERDUN  223 

"Had  we  better  wait  or  try  to  get  out  before  they 
come  back?"  asked  Chester. 

Hal  was  undecided,  but  the  question  was  answered 
for  him. 

Only  a  few  minutes  had  passed  when  there  came 
the  sound  of  returning  fotsteps.  The  boys  could 
hear  them  stop  before  the  different  tents  and  also 
the  sound  of  voices.  Directly  a  man  poked  his  head 
into  the  tent. 

"Awake  in  here  ?"  he  asked. 

There  was  no  answer. 

The  man  advanced  into  the  tent  and  approached 
Stubbs'  cot  which  was  nearest  the  entrance.  He  laid 
a  hand  on  Stubbs'  shoulder  and  shook  him. 

"Hello,"  said  the  little  man  sleepily.  "What's  the 
matter.    Time  to  get  up  already  ?" 

"No,"  was  the  reply.  "Have  you  seen  anything 
of  three  men,  whose  appearance  would  indicate  they 
had  been  running?" 

"I've  been  asleep,"  protested  Stubbs.  "I  had  a 
dream.  But  I  guess  the  men  I  saw  in  my  dreams 
are  not  the  ones  you  want." 

"These  are  not  dream  men,"  was  the  response.  "I 
thought  possibly  you  might  have  heard  them  run  by 
this  tent." 

"No,"  said  Stubbs,  truthfully,  "I  didn't  hear  them 
run  by  this  tent." 

"All  right,"  said  the  German  and  withdrew. 

For  perhaps  an  hour  the  three  fugitives  lav  in  the 


224  THE  BOY  AI.LIES 

shelter  of  the  German  tent.  From  time  to  time  they 
heard  voices  without  but  after  awhile  these  died 
away.  After  there  had  been  absolute  silence  with- 
out for  perhaps  fifteen  minutes,  Chester  slipped  from 
the  cot. 

"May  as  well  move,  I  guess,"  he  whispered. 

Hal  also  arose. 

"All  right,"  he  said.    "Come,  Stubbs." 

There  was  no  reply  from  Stubbs'  cot.  Hal  walked 
quickly  across  the  tent,  laid  a  hand  on  Stubbs'  shoul- 
der and  shook  him  vigorously. 

"Come,  Stubbs!"  he  exclaimed.  "Time  to  get 
out  of  here." 

Stubbs  muttered  something  unintelligible  and 
turned  over. 

"By  Jove!  if  he  isn't  asleep,"  said  Chester,  who 
came  to  Hal's  side  now. 

"That's  what  he  is,"  agreed  Hal.  "Well,  we've 
got  to  get  him  up.     Grab  hold  of  his  feet." 

Chester  did  so  and  together  the  boys  picked  the 
little  man  up  bodily. 

"I  say !"  said  Stubbs,  sleepily,  "let  me  alone,  will 
you?    I  want  to  sleep  a  little  more." 

"You'll  find  an  eternal  sleep  if  you  don't  get  out 
of  here,  Stubbs,"  said  Hal.  "Don't  you  know  you 
are  in  a  German  tent  and  that  you'll  be  shot  if 
you're  found  here?" 

This  awoke  Stubbs  instantly.  He  stood  up  and 
rubbed  his  eyes. 


AT  VERDUN  225 

"Great  Scott!"  he  ejaculated.  "How  on  earth 
did  I  go  to  sleep  in  a  predicament  like  this  ?" 

"I  don't  know  how  you  did  it,"  returned  Hal,  "but 
you  did.  Come  on,  Chester,  let's  get  out  of  here 
while  we  have  a  chance." 

He  led  the  way  cautiously  to  the  door  of  the  tent 
and  poked  his  head  carefully  outside, 

"Coast  seems  to  be  clear,"  he  announced.  "Come 
on  and  walk  quietly." 

The  others  followed  him. 

Hal  made  a  direct  line  for  the  place  where  they 
had  hidden  the  large  army  aeroplane.  Fortunately, 
the  lad  was  blessed  with  an  almost  uncanny  sense  of 
direction  and  he  knew  the  course  he  laid  out  would 
take  them  to  the  hiding  spot  of  the  plane  as  directly 
as  if  he  could  see  the  huge  machine  from  where  he 
stood. 

All  was  silence  in  the  big  camp  as  the  lads  walked 
cautiously  along,  stopping  now  and  then  and  strain- 
ing their  ears  for  a  sound  that  would  indicate  the 
presence  of  a  watchful  German  sentry.  No  such 
sound  came  and  the  three  had  almost  reached  the 
outskirts  of  the  camp  when  Hal,  who  was  leading, 
stopped  and  pointed  to  an  object  that  loomed  up 
large  in  the  darkness  a  short  distance  away. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Stubbs  in  a  hoarse  whisper. 

"Looks  to  me  like  a  place  where  ammunition 
might  be  stored,"  said  Hal,  quietly.  "I  shall  have  a 
look." 


226  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

"Let  it  alone,  Hal,"  said  Stubbs,  anxiously. 
"Don't  go  fooling  around  there.  You're  likely  to 
blow  us  all  up." 

"I  guess  not,"  returned  Hal,  "but  I  wouldn't  mind 
blowing  all  the  ammunition  up  that  the  place  may 
contain." 

"By  Jove!"  said  Chester.  "A  good  idea!  I'm 
with  you." 

"Well,  I'm  not,"  declared  Stubbs.  "I  know  where 
our  aeroplane  is  and  that's  where  I'm  going  right 
this  minute.  I  don't  know  how  to  fly  the  thing,  and 
if  you  fellows  go  fooling  around  that  ammunition 
depot  I'll  probably  have  to  hunt  another  pilot;  but 
Anthony  Stubbs  is  not  going  to  be  blown  up  with  hi.s 
eyes  open  when  he  can  help  it." 

"Better  wait  here,  Stubbs,"  said  Chester. 

"Not  me,"  returned  the  little  man,  decisively. 
"You'll  find  me  at  the  plane  when  you  get  there ;  or 
if  you  get  there,  I  should  say." 

"But  there  is  nothing  sure  that  the  building  con- 
tains ammunition,"  said  Hal.  "I  just  guessed  at  it, 
Stubbs.    Come  and  have  a  look." 

"Oh,  it  contains  ammunition,  all  right." 

"Plow  do  you  know?"  demanded  Chester. 

"Well,  if  it  didn't  you  fellows  wouldn't  have  spied 
it.  You  call  it  good  luck.  I  call  it  hard  luck.  I 
tell  you  that  every  time  I  go  any  place  with  you  I 
risk  my  neck.  Sure  the  building  contains  ammu- 
nition !    It  was  put  there  for  the  sole  purpose  of  Jiav- 


AT  VERDUN  227 

ing  you  blow  it  up.  That's  the  way  it  looks  to  me. 
But  I  can  see  all  the  fireworks  I  want  to  from  a  dis- 
tance.    Good-bye." 

"All  right,  Stubbs,  if  you  are  such  a  coward," 
said  Chester,  somewhat  nettled. 

"Fd  rather  be  a  live  coward  than  a  dead  fool," 
was  Stubbs'  reply. 

He  walked  off. 

"Come  on,  Chester,"  said  Hal.  "We'll  have  a 
look  at  this  place." 

He  led  the  way  close  to  the  building.  Going 
slowly  and  cautiously  they  advanced  to  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  building  without  being  ob- 
served, although  they  could  see  an  occasional  dark 
shape  as  it  moved  about  in  front  of  the  building. 

"Guards  there,"  said  Hal,  briefly. 

"Sure,"  said  Chester.  "I  believe  you  have  guessed 
right.  I  am  sure  the  place  is  filled  with  ammunition. 
Now  if  we  could  just  dispose  of  the  guards  and 
place  a  time  fuse " 

"It  would  be  a  hard  blow  to  the  Germans,"  Hal 
agreed.    "We'll  try  it." 

Still  cautiously  they  approached.  A  guard  arose 
from  in  front  of  the  building.  He  stretched  his 
arms.  Apparently  he  had  been  asleep.  Then  he 
sat  down  again. 

"We'll  wait  a  minute,"  Hal  whispered.  "Per- 
haps he'll  doze  again." 

Fortune  was  with  the  boys.    A  few  moments  later 


228  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

there  came  the  sound  of  a  gentle  snore.  The  man 
was  asleep.  Immediately  the  lads  sprang  to  action. 
Quickly  they  dashed  across  the  open  space  to  the 
side  of  the  large  building,  which  was  made  of  wood 
and  seemed  to  be  nothing  more  than  a  huge  barn. 

Chester  stopped  beside  the  guard  and  raised  his 
revolver.  He  hesitated  a  moment  and  then  lowered 
the  weapon. 

"Let  him  be,"  he  muttered.  "He  won't  be  with 
us  long  anyhow." 

Hal,  in  the  meantime,  had  been  exploring  the 
barn.  Coming  back  he  picked  up  the  guard's 
rifle. 

"I  can  pry  a  board  loose  with  this,"  he  told  Ches- 
ter, in  a  whisper. 

This  proved  easier  work  than  it  looked.  The 
board  came  loose  without  much  trouble.  Hal  dis- 
appeared inside. 

"Ammunition?"  Chester  asked,  as  he  poked  his 
head  in. 

"Yes,"  Hal  whispered  back. 

"Find  a  fuse?"  asked  Chester. 

Again  Hal's  reply  was  in  the  affirmative. 

"Stretch  it  out  here  then,  and  hurry,"  ordered 
Chester. 

Hal  appeared  on  the  outside  a  moment  later,  car- 
rying a  fuse.  One  end  still  remained  in  the  bam. 
The  other  Hal  carried  some  distance. 

"Guess  you'd  better  dispose  of  that  guard  first,*^ 


AT  VERDUN  229 

he  said.  "He  might  wake  up  and  extinguish  the 
fuse." 

It  was  the  work  of  but  a  moment,  much  as  Ches- 
ter hated  to  perform  it. 

Then  Hal  struck  a  light,  shielding  the  match  with 
his  cap.  He  applied  the  match  to  the  fuse.  Then 
he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  called  to  Chester : 

"Run!" 


2S0  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XXVni 


FLIGHT 


Both  lads  fled  through  the  night  knowing  that 
their  hves  depended  upon  it.  For  safety's  sake  it 
was  absolutely  necessary  that  they  put  as  great  a 
distance  as  possible  between  them  and  the  barn. 

According  to  Hal's  calculations,  the  spot  where 
the  aeroplane  was  hidden  was  far  enough  away  so 
that  the  machine  would  not  be  disabled  by  the  force 
of  the  explosion ;  and  it  was  for  this  point  that  the 
lads  made  at  full  speed. 

They  reached  there  safely;  and  still  there  had 
been  no  explosion. 

"How  much  time  did  you  allow,  Hal?"  asked 
Chester. 

"Ten  minutes,  as  nearly  as  I  could  judge,"  was 
the  reply. 

"Then  we  still  have  a  few  minutes,  I  guess.  Had 
we  better  wait  here  until  after  the  blast,  or  shall  we 
run  out  the  machine  and  get  up  in  the  air." 

"We'd  better  stay  here,"  returned  Hal,  positively. 
"I  don't  know  how  much  ammunition  there  is  in 


AT  VERDUN  231 

that  bam.  It's  going  to  kick  up  a  terrible  fuss.  My 
advice  is  that  we  lay  flat  on  the  ground,  hold  our 
ears  and  bury  our  faces.  Immediately  after  the 
blast  we'll  run  the  machine  out  and  get  up  as  swiftly 
as  possible." 

"I  can  imagine  the  effect  of  the  explosion,"  said 
Chester. 

"Well,  I  can't,"  returned  Hal;  "nor  can  you. 
How  many  men  it  may  kill,  how  many  it  may  maim 
and  what  damage  it  will  do  cannot  be  estimated. 
But  one  thing  sure,  immediately  afterwards  every 
sleepy  German  soldier  within  fifty  miles  will  be  on 
the  alert.  The  Germans  will  know  it  was  not  an 
accident.  They  will  attribute  the  explosion  to  a 
bomb  dropped  from  the  air.,  We  may  have  trouble 
reaching  our  lines." 

"I  wish  you  hadn't  done  it,  Hal,"  mumbled 
Stubbs,  whom  the  lads  had  found  hiding  beside 
the  aeroplane.  "It  will  dig  a  hole  a  mile  deep  in 
the  ground.  Rocks,  guns  and  everything  will  come 
down  like  hail.    We  may  be  killed." 

"Quiet,  Stubbs!"  ordered  Hal.  "Flat  on  the 
ground  with  you  now.  Hold  your  ears  and  bury 
your  faces  until  I  tell  you  to  get  up." 

He  suited  the  action  to  the  word.  Chester  and 
Slubbs  followed  his  example. 

For  long  moments,  it  seemed  to  them,  they  waited 
for  the  sound  of  the  blast  that  would  shake  the  coun- 
try.    Each  was  anxious,  for  there  was  no  telling 


232  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

what  the  result  of  the  explosion  might  be.  Stubbs 
squirmed  uneasily  as  he  burrowed  in  the  ground, 
while  Chester  and  Hal  were  by  no  means  easy  in 
their  minds. 

So  long  did  they  wait  that  it  seemed  to  Chester 
something  must  have  gone  wrong.  Perhaps  the 
fuse  had  gone  out.  Perhaps  another  German  guard 
had  discovered  it  in  time  and  pinched  out  the  fire. 
There  were  many  possibilities,  and  the  lad  consid- 
ered them  all  as  he  lay  prostrate  on  the  ground. 

He  was  about  to  raise  his  head  and  ask  Hal  a 
question,  when,  suddenly,  the  blast  came. 

There  was,  at  first,  a  long  grumbling  roar,  which, 
it  seemed,  would  never  end.  Gradually  the  roar  in- 
creased until  it  reached  such  proportions  as  to  be  be- 
yond all  description;  it  was  a  roar  the  like  of  which 
neither  of  the  three  figures  who  lay  there  had  ever 
heard  before — probably  never  would  hear  again. 

Louder  and  louder  it  grew  and  then  ended  in  a 
final  blast  that  was  louder  than  many  thousand  times 
the  loudest  peal  of  thunder — louder  than  the  simul- 
taneous firing  of  thousands  of  guns. 

Then  it  became  suddenly  quiet — so  quiet  that  Hal, 
Chester  and  Stubbs,  who  had  now  leaped  to  their 
feet,  felt  a  queer  sensation  hovering  all  about  them ; 
so  quiet  that  it  was,  for  the  moment,  impossible  to 
hear. 

Then  something  descended  not  five  yards  from 
where  the  three  stood  with  a  terrible  roar.    Instinc- 


AT  VERDUN  233 

tively,  all  fell  to  the  ground  again,  crowding  them- 
selves into  the  smallest  possible  space. 

For  the  rain  of  debris  had  begun.  And  for  sev- 
eral minutes  it  continued.  Pieces  of  guns,  of  rocks 
and  of  all  objects  imaginable  fell  upon  all  sides  of 
the  three ;  but,  fortunately,  none  struck  them.  Then 
the  rain  of  debris  ceased. 

In  the  great  German  camp  all  was  hideous  con- 
fusion. Thousands  of  lives  had  been  snuffed  out  by 
the  force  of  the  titanic  blast;  thousands  of  others 
had  perished  in  the  rain  of  steel  and  iron  and  rock 
that  followed.  It  was  the  greatest  catastrophe  that 
had  befallen  the  Germans  for  many  a  long  day.  The 
effect  of  the  explosion  was  appalling. 

Hal's  first  thought  after  the  rain  of  steel  and  iron 
had  ceased  was  for  the  aeroplane.  If  it  had  been 
smashed  they  were,  indeed,  in  a  serious  situation. 
If  it  had  gone  through  the  storm  safely  they  were 
comparatively  safe. 

Together  the  three  friends  rushed  toward  the  ma- 
chine. Quickly  they  rolled  it  out  into  the  open.  Hal 
examined  the  engine  and  steering  apparatus  care- 
fullv. 

"All  right,  Hal  ?"  asked  Chester,  anxiously. 

Hal  shook  his  head. 

^'Something   wrong   with   the   engine," 

*'Can  you  fix  it?" 

"I  haven't  been  able  to  determine  just  what's 
wrong  yet." 


234  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Hal  worked  rapidly;  and  at  last  he  gave  an  ex- 
clamation of  satisfaction. 

"Find  it?"  asked  Chester. 

"Yes ;  I'll  have  it  fixed  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour." 

"If  we're  not  away  from  here  in  five  minutes 
we're  likely  to  be  dead,"  said  Stubbs,  plaintively. 

"r>on't  croak,  Stubbs,"  said  Chester.  "We've 
done  a  good  day's  work  and  you  should  be  proud 
to  have  a  hand  in  it." 

"Should  I  ?"  said  Stubbs.  "Well,  all  right,  if  you 
say  so;  but  I  would  be  a  whole  lot  more  proud  if 
I  could  get  back  and  tell  somebody  about  it." 

"A  man  deserves  no  particular  credit  for  doing 
his  duty,"  said  Chester,  quietly. 

"Maybe  not,"  agreed  Stubbs.  "But  I  haven't 
done  mine  yet." 

"Why " 

"My  duty,"  said  Stubbs,  "is  to  get  back  to  som© 
place  where  I  can  send  an  account  of  this  feat  to 
the  New  York  Gazette.  Believe  me,  it  will  be  some 
scoop." 

"Scoop?" 

"Yes.  I  mean  no  other  paper  will  have  the  facts 
as  I  have  them." 

"All  right,  Stubbs,"  said  Chester.  "I  hope  you 
get  your  scoop." 

"I'm  going  to  get  it,"  said  Stubbs,  excitedly,  "if 
I  have  to  walk  over  the  body  of  the  Kaiser  himself 
to  do  it." 


AT  VERDUN  235 

"That's  the  way  to  talk,"  said  Chester.  "Con- 
fidence is  the  greatest  asset  in  the  world." 

"It's  not  confidence,"  said  Stubbs.  "I've  just  got 
to  do  it.  Why,  if  my  boss  knew  I  had  something 
like  this  in  my  hands  and  I  didn't  get  it  to  him  I'd 
lose  my  job." 

Chester  made  no  reply  to  this;  instead,  he  bent 
over  Hal  who  was  still  tinkering  with  the  engine  of 
the  aeroplane. 

"How  are  you  making  it  ?"  he  asked. 

"I  don't  seem  to  be  able  to  fix  it,"  returned  Hal. 
"Say!  you  two  fellows  walk  away  a  bit  and  keep 
an  eye  open  for  possible  enemies.  We  don't  want 
to  be  caught  off  our  guard  here." 

Chester  and  Stubbs  did  as  Hal  directed,  though 
the  latter  mumbled  to  himself  as  he  took  his  posi- 
tion some  distance  away. 

"That's  the  trouble  with  these  contraptions,"  he 
said.  "Always  out  of  whack.  If  a  man  had  a  good 
horse  now " 

He  broke  off  and  continued  to  mumble  something 
unintelligible  to  himself. 

"I've  found  it,"  cried  Hal  now,  from  the  aero- 
plane. "I  was  v/orking  on  the  wrong  part,  I'll  have 
it  fixed  in  a  jiffy." 

Chester  made  no  reply,  but  Stubbs  brightened  up 
wonderfully. 

"That's  the  talk!"  he  cried.  "Fix  her  up,  Hal, 
and  get  a  move  on." 


236  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Hal  smiled  to  himself  as  he  tinkered  with  the  en- 
gine. 

Hal  was  deep  in  his  work  when  his  attention  was 
attracted  by  a  sudden  cry  of  alarm  from  Stubbs. 

"Germans !"  cried  the  little  man,  and  without  stop- 
ping to  look  again,  he  dashed  toward  Hal. 

At  almost  the  same  moment  Chester  saw  a  force 
of  the  enemy  advancing  toward  him.  He,  too,  ut- 
tered a  cry  of  alarm  and  dashed  toward  the  place 
where  Hal  still  bent  over  the  aeroplane. 

Stubbs  danced  up  and  down  and  chanted  excit- 
edly: 

"Hurry  up,  Hal !    Hurry  up !    Here  they  come  !'* 

"Shut  up,  Stubbs!"  exclaimed  Hal,  straining  all 
his  energies  to  fix  the  break  in  the  plane.  "I'll  have 
it  in  a  minute." 

"A  minute  will  be  too  late !"  cried  Stubbs. 

"Be  still,  Stubbs!"  said  Chester,  quietly.  "Give 
Hal  a  chance.  There  is  still  time  to  run  if  it's  neces- 
sary." 

And  at  that  moment  Hal  sprang  to  his  feet. 

"Fixed!"  he  cried  joyfully.  "Climb  in  here, 
quickly !" 

The  others  needed  no  urging  and  soon  all  were  in 
their  places.  It  was  now  that  Hal  thanked  his  stars 
that  the  plane  was  one  of  the  few  that  could  rise 
from  the  ground. 

Slowly  the  large  army  plane  gathered  headway  as 
he  moved  along  the  ground.    Hal  increased  the  speed 


AT  VERDUN  237 

slowly  in  spite  of  the  close  proximity,  for  he  realized 
that  too  great  haste  might  spell  disaster,  and  he 
wished  to  test  the  engine  carefully  before  soaring 
into  the  air. 

"Up,  Hal!"  cried  Stubbs.    "Here  they  come!" 

Hal  paid  no  heed  to  this  frantic  exclamation.  In- 
stead, for  a  moment,  he  reduced  the  speed  of  the 
craft  as  something  seemed  not  to  be  working  exactly 
right.  Calmly  he  bent  over  the  engine  and  tinkered 
with  it  a  moment  later.  Then  he  sat  straight  and 
exclaimed : 

"All  right  now!" 

Stubbs  gave  a  great  sigh  of  relief. 

Hal  increased  the  speed  of  the  machine  until  it 
fairly  flew  over  the  ground.  And  then  his  hand 
touched  the  elevating  lever. 

Immediately  the  plane  soared  in  the  air  like  a  big 
bird. 

And  from  the  ground  came  exclamations  of  sur- 
prise ;  for  it  was  not  until  that  moment  that  the  Ger- 
mans who  had  been  advancing  toward  the  friends 
had  discovered  their  presence;  although  they  had 
been  espied  by  Chester  and  Stubbs  some  moments 
before. 

A  volley  of  rifle  bullets  was  fired  at  the  rapidly 
rising  machine. 

One  flew  by  Stubbs'  ear  and  he  dropped  to  the 
bottom  of  the  car  with  a  howl  of  fright. 

A  moment  later,  however,  the  machine  was  be- 


238  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

yond  reach  of  the  rifles  of  the  German  troops,  and 
Hal  laid  the  craft  out  on  a  straightaway  course, 
heading  directly  west. 

"Nothing  can  stop  us  now  but  enemy  aeroplanes," 
he  said  quietly. 

He  increased  his  speed.  The  big  army  plane  flew 
toward  the  distant  French  lines  with  a  speed  greater 
than  that  of  the  fastest  express  train. 


AT  VERDUN  239 


CHAPTER  XXIX 


THE   END   OF    MATIN 


"You  have  done  well,  sirs.  President  Poincare 
shall  hear  of  this." 

The  speaker  was  General  Petain,  Before  him 
stood  Hal,  Chester  and  Anthony  Stubbs.  Hal,  act- 
ing as  spokesman,  had  just  concluded  an  account 
of  their  adventures  within  the  enemy  lines,  a  ven- 
ture from  which  they  had  returned  successfully  and 
safely  only  an  hour  before. 

For,  after  the  aeroplane  had  descended  above  the 
French  lines  and  headed  for  the  French  positions, 
the  journey  had  been  without  important  event. 
True,  there  had  been  a  brush  with  one  enemy  air- 
craft; but  this  had  been  worsted.  A  second,  which 
had  given  chase,  was  distanced  with  ease  and  the 
three  friends  had  returned  to  the  French  lines  un- 
scathed. 

"So !"  said  General  Petain,  "you  blew  up  the  en- 
emy's ammunition  depot,  eh?  The  explosion  was 
felt  even  here.  We  knew  the  foe  had  suffered  some 
hard  blow,  but  I  had  no  idea  that  it  had  been  deliv- 
ered by  your  hand." 


240  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Bott  ihds  flushed  at  the  praise  of  General  Pe- 
tain.    Stubbs  was  pleased. 

"Now  tell  me  what  else  you  did,  if  anything," 
said  the  general.  "Did  you  get  the  information 
after  which  you  went  ?" 

"We  did,  sir,"  returned  Hal. 

He  passed  to  the  general  the  documents  he  had 
taken  from  the  young  German  aide.  General  Pe- 
tain  scanned  them  carefully. 

"These  will  be  invaluable  to  me,"  he  said  quietly. 

Then  Chester  told  the  French  commander  of  the 
conversation  he  had  overheard  in  the  quarters  of 
the  German  Crown  Prince. 

"Now  that  I  have  escaped,"  the  lad  concluded, 
"it  may  be  possible,  of  course,  that  the  German  plans 
will  be  altered." 

"You  have  done  well,"  said  the  general  again, 
"and  as  I  have  said,  your  work  shall  be  brought  to 
the  personal  attention  of  the  President."  He  turned 
to  Stubbs.  "You,  sir,"  he  said,  "are  not  a  soldier, 
yet  I  have  to  thank  you  for  your  part  in  this  mis- 
sion." 

Stubbs  blushed  like  a  school  boy. 

"I  didn't  do  anything  deserving  of  credit,  sir,"  he 
said.  "My  young  friends  here  were  the  directing 
heads  and  performed  all  the  dangerous  work." 

"Nevertheless,"  returned  the  general,  "you  are 
deserving  of  praise  and  if  there  is  anything  I  can  do 
for  you,  you  have  but  to  ask  it." 


AT  VERDUN  241 

Stubbs  hesitated.  There  was  something  he 
wanted  very  much  but  he  did  not  know  whether  to 
make  the  request  or  not.  General  Petain  saw  the 
Httle  man's  indecision,  and  said  with  a  smile : 

"You  have  something  on  your  mind,  sir.  Come, 
out  with  it.  Be  sure  it  will  be  granted  if  it  lies  in  my 
power." 

Still  Stubbs  hesitated.  Chester  stepped  forward, 
smiling. 

"I  believe  I  can  tell  you  what  it  is,  sir,"  he  said. 

"Speak,"  said  the  general. 

"Why,  sir,"  said  Chester,  "Mr.  Stubbs  would  have 
your  permission  to  send  an  account  of  the  great  ex- 
plosion to  his  newspaper  uncensored.  He  would 
have  the  people  of  the  United  States  know,  through 
his  paper,  of  the  severe  blow  the  enemy  has  suf- 
fered." 

"H-m-m-m,"  muttered  the  general.  "The  United 
States  will  hear  of  the  disaster,  of  course.  Mr. 
Stubbs,  with  the  other  correspondents,  will  be  al- 
lowed to  file  his  despatches  after  the  official  report 
has  been  made." 

"But  that's  the  point,  sir,"  said  Stubbs,  stepping 
forward.  "I  would  like  to  have  my  paper  get  the 
news  first." 

"Oho!  I  see,"  exclaimed  General  Petain.  "You 
want  for  your  paper  what  you  Americans  call 
a— a— a " 

"Scoop." 


242  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

Chester  supplied  the  word. 

"Exactly,"  said  Stubbs. 

The  general  considered  the  matter  for  a  moment. 
Then  he  threw  wide  his  arms  in  a  gesture  of  con- 
sent. 

"It  shall  be  done,"  he  said. 

"Thank  you,  General,"  said  Stubbs.  "Then,  with 
your  permission,  I  will  retire  to  my  own  quarters 
to  prepare  my  despatches." 

"One  minute,  Stubbs,"  said  Chester.  "You  may 
perhaps  remember  that  until  a  short  time  ago  you 
shared  quarters  with  Hal  and  me.  We  would  like 
to  have  you  come  back." 

Stubbs  grinned. 

"That  was  before  the  discovery  of  the  great  con- 
spiracy," he  said.  "By  the  way.  General,  may  I 
make  so  bold  as  to  ask  what  has  been  done  toward 
crushing  the  move?" 

"It  has  been  crushed,  sir,"  replied  General  Pe- 
tain,  quietly.  "That  shall  have  to  suffice.  And,  by 
the  way,  Mr.  Stubbs,  I  must  tell  you  that  if  you 
refer  to  that  matter  in  your  despatches  they  will  be 
strictly  censored." 

"I  shall  not  mention  the  matter,  General." 

Stubbs  bowed  and  took  his  departure,  first  stop- 
ping to  say  to  Hal  and  Chester : 

"You'll  find  me  back  in  our  old  quarters  when  you 
arrive." 

"Now,  boys,"  said  General  Petain,  after  Stubbs 


AT  VERDUN  24.8 

had  gone,  "you  are  relieved  of  duty  for  the  rest  of 
the  day.  To-morrow  morning,  however,  I  shall 
have  need  of  you;  for  to-morrow — and  I  am  tell- 
ing you  something  few  know — we  shall  launch  a  new 
drive,  basing  our  attacks  upon  the  information 
which  you  have  just  now  furnished  me.  Good-bye 
until  to-morrow." 

The  general  walked  to  the  door  of  the  tent  with 
the  two  boys  and  waved  a  hand  to  them  as  they 
turned  away. 

"Well,"  said  Hal,  as  they  walked  along,  "we  ap- 
parently have  accomplished  something  worth  while." 

"To  hear  the  general  talk  you  would  think  we 
had,"  agreed  Chester,  "and  still  we  didn't  do  so 
much,  after  all." 

"That's  what  I  think." 

"By  the  way,"  said  Chester,  "I'm  going  to  hunt  up 
Stubbs'  old  quarters.  Perhaps  he  hasn't  moved  his 
things  yet.     I'll  lend  a  hand." 

"All  right,"  said  Hal.  "I'll  go  along  without 
you.  I'll  probably  be  taking  a  nap  Vv^hen  you  reach 
our  quarters.    Don't  awaken  me.    I'm  tired." 

The  lads  parted  and  Hal  continued  on  his  way 
to  his  quarters. 

Stubbs  had  not  yet  arrived.  Hal  sat  down  on  the 
edge  of  his  cot  to  remove  his  shoes.  As  he  did  so 
he  thought  he  heard  a  sound  from  behind  him.  He 
whirled  suddenly  and  there,  a  few  feet  away,  his 
revolver  trained  right  upon  Hal's  heart,  stood  Matin, 


244  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

the  French  soldier  who  already  had  tried  once  to 
kill  him, 

"A  visitor,  I  see,"  said  Hal,  quietly.  "You  will 
pardon  me  a  moment  while  I  remove  my  shoes. 
That  is  what  I  started  to  do  and  when  I  start  a  thing 
I  always  like  to  finish  it." 

"Take  them  off  if  you  want  to,"  returned  Matin, 
grinning  evilly.  "You  won't  need  to  put  them  on 
again." 

"Think  not?"  said  Hal.  "You  never  can  tell 
about  those  things,  Matin." 

"Trying  to  be  funny,  are  you?"  returned  Matin. 
"Well,  go  ahead.  You  won't  be  funny  long — not 
to  anyone  but  me.     I'm  going  to  shoot  you." 

"Don't  suppose  you  would  let  me  draw  my  own 
gun  first,  would  you?"  asked  Hal. 

"No.    What  do  you  think  I  am  ?" 

"Just  a  coward;  that's  all,"  said  Hal,  quietly. 

"Coward,  am  I  ?"  exclaimed  Matin,  taking  a  quick 
step  forward. 

"Correct,"  replied  Hal.  "It's  about  your  size  to 
shoot  a  man  in  the  back,  I  have  had  dealings  with 
your  kind  before.  You're  afraid  to  take  an  even 
chance." 

"It's  not  that  I'm  afraid,"  said  Matin.  "It's  just 
that  I  want  to  make  sure.     I  failed  twice  before." 

"Then  it  was  you  who  tried  to  shoot  me  in  here 
cwie  night,  eh  ?"  asked  Hal. 

**Yes;  and  I  would  have  succeeded  had  it  not 


AT  VERDUN  246 

been  for  your  friend.  When  I  have  disposed  of  you 
I  shall  settle  with  him  also." 

"I  don't  think  so,  Matin." 

"You  don't?    What's  to  prevent  me?" 

"Why,"  said  Hal,  "when  I  am  through  with  you, 
you  will  be  in  no  condition  to  settle  with  anyone. 
Now,  if  you  will  take  my  advice,  you'll  put  that  gun 
in  your  pocket  and  leave  this  tent." 

"Talk  pretty  big,  don't  you  ?"  said  Matin,  with  a 
sneer.    "Well,  I'll  show  you!" 

He  raised  his  revolver  so  that  the  muzzle  pointed 
squarely  between  Hal's  eyes.  His  finger  tightened 
on  the  trigger. 

"One  moment,  Matin,"  said  Hal,  quietly.  "Don't 
you  know  that  before  you  can  pull  the  trigger  my 
friend  in  the  doorway  will  kill  you  ?" 

A  look  of  fright  and  disappointment  passed  over 
Matin's  face.  Slowly  he  lowered  his  revolver  and 
turned  toward  the  doorway.  It  was  the  moment 
for  which  Hal  had  been  waiting. 

With  a  bound  he  leaped  upon  Matin  and  with  his 
left  hand  seized  Matin's  right  wrist.  Matin  uttered 
a  snarl  of  rage. 

"Tricked  me,  did  you?"  he  shouted.  "You  shall 
pay  for  it." 

It  had  been  Hal's  intention  at  first  simply  to  wrest 
the  revolver  from  his  opponent's  hands  and  then  turn 
the  man  over  to  the  officer  of  the  guard. 

But  Matin's  strength  was  greater  than  the  lad  had 


1246  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

imagined;  also  he  was  wild  with  rage.  With  his 
free  hand  he  struck  viciously  at  Hal,  while  he  kicked 
with  his  feet  and  sought  to  bury  his  teeth  in  Hal's 
arm. 

But  Hal  held  him  back. 

Vainly,  Matin  sought  to  move  his  right  arm 
around  so  as  to  bring  the  muzzle  upon  Hal's  heart. 
With  a  quick  move  Hal  suddenly  released  his  hold 
upon  Matin's  pistol  wrist  and  seized  the  pistol  hand. 
His  finger  covered  Matin's  finger  on  the  trigger. 

Matin's  hand  at  that  moment  was  extended 
straight  from  him.  Slowly  now,  as  Hal  exerted  his 
utmost  pressure,  the  arm  described  a  semicircle. 
Now  it  pointed  almost  straight  forward.  Then,  as 
Hal  brought  more  strength  into  play,  the  arm  curved 
inward;  and  directly  the  revolver  pointed  squarely 
at  Matin's  heart. 

The  perspiration  stood  out  in  great  beads  on  Mat- 
in's forehead.  He  was  panting  and  gasping  for 
breath.  Hal  was  breathing  easily,  though  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  sinews  on  his  forehead  and  arms 
stood  out  showed  to  what  extent  he  had  extended 
himself. 

When  the  mouth  of  the  revolver  pointed  at  Mat- 
in's heart,  Hal  said  quietly: 

"Now,  Matin,  if  you  will  release  your  hold  on  this 
gun  I  will  let  you  go  free." 

Matin's  answer  was  a  snarl  of  rage. 

Whether    the    man    went    suddenly    insane    or 


AT  VERDUN  247 

whether  he  knew  fully  what  he  was  about,  Hal  can 
not  say  to  this  day;  but  under  his  own  finger,  the 
finger  on  the  trigger  tightened.  There  was  a  flash, 
a  muffled  report  and  the  form  of  Matin  fell  Hmp  in 
the  lad's  arms.  Hal  stepped  back  and  Matin  slid  to 
the  floor,  Hal  stooped  over  and  laid  a  hand  over 
the  man's  heart. 

"Dead !"  the  lad  exclaimed,  and  added :  "but  not 
by  my  hand.    He  pressed  the  trigger  himself !" 


248  THE  BOY  ALLIES 


CHAPTER  XXX 


THE   ADVANCE 


A  BUGLE  sounded. 

The  sleeping  French  camp  sprang  suddenly  to  life. 
Men,  half  dressed,  sprang  from  their  cots — they  had 
not  disrobed  entirely  the  night  before — and  hurried 
to  their  positions,  adjusting  their  clothing  as  they 
did  so.  Regiments  formed  hurriedly  in  the  dark- 
ness that  is  always  more  intense  just  before  dawn. 
Officers  shouted  and  swore;  horses  whinnied  from 
Ihe  distance,  indicating  that  the  French  cavalry,  as 
well  as  the  infantry  was  forming. 

A  second  bugle  sounded  ;  then  many  more.  More 
commands  from  the  various  officers.  Aides  rushed 
hither  and  yon  delivering  sharp  orders  to  division 
commanders.  The  men  stood  quietly  in  line.  Came 
other  sharp  commands  all  down  the  line : 

"En  avant!" 

The  troops  began  to  move. 

Overhead,  screaming  French  shells  from  the  big 
guns  in  the  rear  flew  as  they  raced  for  the  distant 
German  lines.    This  was  no  new  sound.    For  more 


AT  VERDUN  249 

than  twenty-four  hours  now  these  big  guns  had 
been  hurhng  shells  into  the  German  ranks ;  and  the 
men  had  become  so  used  to  the  sounds  of  their  voices 
that  they  would  have  been  almost  unable  to  sleep 
had  they  become  silent. 

This  bombardment,  continuing  for  more  than 
twenty-four  hours  as  it  had,  was  the  opening  of  the 
greatest  offensive  by  the  French  at  Verdun — an  of- 
fensive by  which  General  Petain,  the  French  com- 
mander, hoped  to  drive  back  the  foe  that  for  months 
had  pressed  on  so  hard,  and  thus  to  insure  the  safety 
of  Verdun,  "The  gateway  to  France,"  against  the 
German  invader  for  all  time  to  come. 

Each  move  of  this  gigantic  effort  had  been 
thought  out  well  in  advance.  All  contingencies  had 
been  provided  for  and  against.  The  blow  was  to  be 
struck  at  the  psychological  moment,  when  it  would 
be  deemed  by  the  French  general  staff  that  it  was 
sure  of  success. 

And  now  this  moment  had  come. 

The  information  placed  in  the  hands  of  General 
Petain  days  before  by  Hal  and  Chester  had  been  the 
one  link  in  the  chain  that  had  been  missing.  Now 
the  general  staff  felt  sure  of  the  success  of  this  great 
effort,  though  there  was  not  a  man  who  had  taken 
part  in  the  preparations  who  did  not  know  that  the 
victory — if  victory  there  should  be — would  be  won 
at  tremendous  cost. 

But,  with  the  fate  of  Verdun  in  the  balance,  it 


250  THE  BOl?   ALLIES 

had  been  the  opinion  of  each  member  of  the  general 
staff  that  now  was  no  time  to  hesitate. 

So,  upon  this  morning  in  June,  just  before  dawn, 
the  French  advanced  all  along  their  entire  front. 

Under  the  protection  of  their  big  guns  they  would 
be  able  to  progress  for  some  time;  and  as  they  at- 
tacked the  German  first  line  trenches  in  a  charge,  the 
fire  of  the  big  guns  would  continue,  firing  overhead 
at  the  German  second  and  third  line  trenches  be- 
yond. 

And  it  was  in  this  manner  that  the  advance  was 
made. 

The  day  dawned  while  the  French  were  still  some 
distance  from  the  German  first  line  trenches ;  and  the 
German  guns,  far  to  the  east,  and  the  German  de- 
fenders in  the  trenches  opened  on  them  with  a  ven- 
geance. But  the  French  were  prepared  for  this. 
There  had  been  no  thought  of  a  surprise  attack  in 
the  plans  of  the  general  staff.  It  was  known  that 
the  Germans  would  realize  what  was  about  to  hap- 
pen when  the  duel  of  big  guns  began  more  than 
twenty-four  hours  before. 

Before  sun-up  the  French  infantry  sprang  for- 
ward in  its  first  charge.  It  was  thrown  back.  Im- 
mediately a  second  charge  was  ordered.  This  met 
the  same  fate  as  had  the  first.  A  third  brought  no 
better  results. 

On  the  next  diarge,  as  the  French  advanced  the 
Germans  left  their  trenches  and  sprang  forward  to 


AT  VERDUN  251 

meet  them.  The  big  German  guns  became  still  as 
the  infantry  struggled  hand  to  hand. 

There  issued  from  the  French  left  at  this  junc- 
ture, heavy  bodies  of  French  cavalry.  Into  the  thick 
of  the  struggling  mass  the  horsemen  charged.  This 
attack  had  been  a  surprise.  The  Germans  were  cut 
down  in  large  numbers.  As  they  scrambled  back  to 
the  protection  of  their  trenches,  French  troops 
(Scrambled  over  with  them.  Again  the  infantry 
alone  was  engaged,  but  this  time  in  the  enemy 
trenches. 

Whole  squadrons  of  cavalry  were  ordered  from 
their  horses  and  also  sprang  into  the  German 
trenches.  Reinforcements  were  hurried  up.  The 
Germans  also  rushed  up  supports ;  but  they  had  de- 
layed too  long. 

The  Germans  broke  and  fled  for  safety  to  the  sec- 
ond line  trenches. 

Immediately  the  French  turned  the  field  pieces 
captured  with  the  German  trenches  upon  the  fleeing 
enemy  and  mowed  them  down  in  great  numbers. 
Others  of  the  French  troops  fell  to  work  consolidat- 
ing the  newly  won  trenches.  The  big  German  guns 
opened  again;  but  by  this  time  the  French  were 
pretty  well  secured  against  this  arm  of  fire. 

More  French  reinforcements  were  rushed  up  to 
hold  the  captured  trenches.  Batteries  of  field  guns 
braved  the  German  shell  fire  and  dashed  across  the 
open  to  the  captured  trenches.     Immediately  these 


252  THE  BOY  ALLIEti 

guns  were  brought  into  position,  they  opened  upon 
the  Gennan  second  line  of  defense. 

From  their  posts  of  vantage,  mounted  upon  slight 
elevations,  and  from  behind  trees  and  other  secure 
places,  the  great  French  guns  protected  the  advance 
of  the  cavalry  and  infantry. 

Hal  and  Chester,  who  had  stood  close  to  General 
Petain  during  most  of  this  battling,  had  watched  the 
conflict  with  the  greatest  interest. 

"Look  at  them  fall!"  exclaimed  Chester,  as 
through  his  glasses,  he  witnessed  the  last  desperate 
attack  of  the  French. 

"It's  a  terrible  sight,"  agreed  Hal,  "and  yet  there 
will  be  many  more  just  as  terrible  before  this  war 
is  won." 

"Indeed  there  will,"  agreed  Chester. 

"Lieutenant  Crawford!    Lieutenant  Paine!" 

It  was  General  Petain  who  spoke. 

"My  compliments  to  General  Bordeaux,  Lieuten- 
ant Paine,  and  tell  him  that  the  left  of  the  newly  won 
trenches  must  be  held  at  all  hazzards !" 

Hal  sprang  upon  a  nearby  motorcycle  and  soon 
was  speeding  toward  the  front. 

"Lieutenant  Crawford!  The  same  instructions 
to  General  Ducal  on  the  right !" 

A  moment  later  Chester  was  speeding  forward. 

His  message  delivered,  Hal  stopped  for  a  mo- 
ment to  gaze  about  the  trenches  won  at  such  terrible 
cost. 


AT  VERDUN  253 

There  had  been  no  time  to  bury  the  dead,  or  even 
to  have  the  bodies  removed;  and  the  trenches  were 
piled  high  with  French  and  German  dead.  In  be- 
tween the  rows  of  corpses,  which  had  hurriedly  been 
pushed  to  one  side,  the  other  troops  worked,  appar- 
ently without  thought  of  their  fallen  comrades.  Red 
Cross  physicians  and  nurses  were  working  among 
the  wounded,  lightening  the  suffering. 

Hal  looked  at  his  watch. 

"Twelve  o'clock!"  he  muttered.  "It  seems  as  if 
this  single  battle  had  been  going  on  for  days !" 

He  made  his  way  slowly  back  to  General  Petain. 

Chester,  his  message  delivered,  also  had  taken  ac- 
count of  the  French  position  on  the  right.  There  the 
fighting  had  been  particularly  severe,  and  the  newly 
won  positions  presented  ghastly  spectacles.  Ches- 
ter shuddered: 

"And  this  is  war !"  he  said. 

He  made  his  way  back  to  headquarters  and  re- 
joined Hal. 

"Wonder  if  we  shall  try  for  the  second  line  de- 
fenses to-day  ?"  Hal  said  to  his  chum. 

"I  don't  know ;  but  I  wouldn't  be  surprised  to  hear 
the  order  at  any  minute  now.  Look  at  the  masses 
of  reinforcements  being  rushed  forward.  Surely, 
they  are  not  being  sent  there  just  to  hold  the 
trenches.  No;  I  believe  that  today  General  Petain 
hopes  to  carry  at  least  the  second  and  third  line  of 
trenches  on  our  whole  front." 


254  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

And,  as  it  transpired,  Chester  was  right. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  French  had 
established  themselves  firmly  in  the  German  second 
line  trenches,  although  at  great  cost.  Dense  masses 
of  reinforcements  were  immediately  rushed  for- 
ward. To  Hal  and  Chester  this  signified  that  there 
was  still  to  be  another  effort  that  day. 

And  at  five  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  effort  was 
made. 

Under  a  sun  that  beat  down  with  terrific  force, 
despite  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  the  French  infantry 
again  advanced  to  the  attack.  Flushed  with  two  vic- 
tories earlier  in  the  day,  they  went  forward  confi- 
dently and  with  eagerness  and  enthusiasm.  Cheers 
broke  out  along  the  whole  line  as  they  advanced. 
Farther  back,  a  band — many  bands — played  "The 
Marseillaise." 

The  German  troops,  twice  driven  back  before  the 
victorious  French,  nevertheless  stood  firm  in  their 
trenches.  They  had  learned  a  dear  lesson  at  the 
hands  of  their  enemy  this  day;  and  while  they  real- 
ized fully  that  they  were  getting  the  v/orst  of  the  bat- 
tle, they  still  stuck  bravely  to  their  task. 

Terrible  as  it  was,  it  was  an  awe-inspiring  sight 
that  Hal  and  Chester,  far  back  with  General  Petain 
and  staff,  witnessed  through  their  glasses  that  late 
afternoon. 

In  dense  masses  the  French  hurled  themselves 
against  the  German  trenches;  and  in  great  masses 


AT  VERDUN  255 

they  were  hurled  back  again — those  of  them  who 
did  not  He  upon  the  ground.  Time  after  time  the 
French  charged  what  appeared  to  be  impregnable 
trenches.  Then,  on  their  fifth  effort,  they  reached 
their  goal  and  surged  into  the  trenches. 

Immediately  all  was  confusion  there.  An  un- 
guarded moment  meant  a  man's  death.  Struggling 
as  they  were,  it  was,  at  times,  almost  impossible  to 
tell  friend  from  foe.  But  the  troops  distinguished 
somehow,  and  for  what  seemed  ages  they  battled 
there,  hand-to-hand. 

German  reinforcements  rushed  up  in  a  valiant  ef- 
fort to  save  the  day.  General  Petain  threw  out  sup- 
ports for  his  own  infantry.  All  these  surged  into  the 
trenches  and  added  their  quota  to  the  terrible  din. 

Several  times  the  German  cavalry  charged,  their 
riders  dismounting  when  they  reached  the  strug- 
gling mass  of  humanity  and  plunging  into  the  fray 
with  sabres  and  revolvers.  But  each  time  they  were 
beaten  off. 

Gradually  the  French  cleared  the  trenches.  The 
Germans  gave  slowly  at  first;  then  more  swiftly. 
The  French  pursued  them  with  loud  cries.  The 
enemy  broke  and  fled. 

Again  German  reinforcements  rushed  to  the  at- 
tack. The  French  met  them  in  the  open,  beyond  the 
third  line  German  trenches.  The  fighting  was  some- 
thing terrible ;  but  flushed  with  victory  as  they  were, 
there  could  be  but  one  ending. 


256  THE  BOY  ALLIES 

A  German  bugle  sounded  a  recall ;  and  at  almost 
the  same  moment  the  evening  sun  settled  beyond  the 
distant  eastern  hills. 

The  French  had  won  the  day! 

Hal  and  Chester  looked  at  each  other.  Then, 
even  as  the  entire  French  staff  broke  into  a  loud 
cheer,  the  two  lads  grasped  hands. 

"We've  won !"  said  Hal. 

"Verdun  is  saved!"  exclaimed  Chester. 

So  there,  upon  this  historic  field,  we  shall  take  our 
leave  of  these  two  friends  for  the  time ;  but  we  shall 
renew  our  acquaintance  later,  in  a  succeeding  vol- 
ume, entitled :  "The  Boy  Allies  on  the  Somme ;  or. 
Courage  and  Bravery  Rewarded." 


THB  EWD 


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405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

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